The Butler's Vengeance
by Caorann fridh Bronach
Summary: Kaiba does what he always does work, and someone has decided that Mokuba should be with a better guardian. Kaiba feels he has failed Mokuba, and the boy begins to doubt his brother's love. Worse, the one separating the two is an old enemy.
1. The Warning

This is my first fanfic, and I just want to give a little information. First, these characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Second, other characters, such as the goon squad and YO, are my own characters. Finally, enjoy the story and give me some feedback.

Chapter 1 The Warning

At 2:23:47 a.m., Seto Kaiba pushed the save button his laptop computer, glanced at the sentence he had just written, and then scrolled to the top of the fifty-four pages. It was time to reread his work.

In the room next to his, a creak went out into the still air, then a soft padding of feet made its way to the door between rooms. A small hand opened the door a crack, the other rubbing his eyes.

"Seto, why are you still up?" The little figure came completely into the room, stopping behind his brother's chair.

When there was no response for more than the standard thirty seconds, the boy persisted, "Nii-sama, you said you were going to go to bed tonight."

"I still am, Mokuba" he answered, eyes riveted to his computer screen.

Mokuba waited for a few minutes, not moving, but neither of them spoke again. Sighing, the boy went back to his own room, padding over to his bed and crawling inside. When the squeaking stopped, everything again was still, except for Kaiba's eyes flicking back and forth over the pages he had written.

Outside the two rooms, two goons remained on watch, their black tuxedoes blending into the darkness. They were focused on any strange sounds and were unsurprised by the creaking and padding of feet. A slight sound from above them, coming from what seemed the vents, went by them unannounced. Everything was as usual in the Kaiba mansion.

Everything, but one thing.

A small camera watched in every room, taped anything that happened back in the control room. There, three security men looked on to be certain no one was where they should not be. However, one camera did not just have the three watching.

Alone in a small room, an avid little man squinted at the screen, grinning when he saw Kaiba ignore his younger sibling.

"Beware, Kaiba," he hissed. "You will soon regret how you ignored him!" A bubble of laughter burst from his gut, and he turned his head to the ceiling and cackled.

-

At exactly 5:00:00, Mokuba opened his eyes and blinked several times, bringing his room into focus.

As he crawled out of his bed, he thought, I wonder if nii-sama slept last night. Thinking it over for a second, he decided he did not want to know.

Changing into his school uniform, Mokuba grabbed his book bag and violin, heading downstairs. The scent of something odd drifted into his nostrils, and he made a face. Obviously, the cook was the one making breakfast today.

"Good morning, Seto," he said, plopping his school items down onto the floor and flopping into a chair.

"I told you, I hired you to be a member of the goon squad, not to cook every meal," Kaiba was saying to Jaques, who was bustling around the kitchen with a chef's hat. "Morning, Mokuba," he said absently, paging through his report of how his corporation was doing.

"Voila! Bon appetit!" Two plates of brightly colored food-stuffs were placed before each of them.

Kaiba took a second to look away from his packet and glance at the table. "I am not eating that. Not only is it colored peculiarly, the content of fat is much higher than average—it's not healthy." Then he was scanning over his work again, standing near the wall.

Mokuba was carefully sniffing his plate, trying not to make a face. Sighing, he picked up his fork and put a little of the wobbly, sickly yellow foam into his mouth. Crepes again. Mechanically chewing, he began to make his way through breakfast. Even if his brother refused to eat, Mokuba knew Seto would make him eat. He was a growing young man and needed plenty of energy to get him through the day, he could almost hear his brother say, as he always would.

After a bit, he got up and poured a bowl of wheat cereal, the most tasteless, unappetizing, crunchless cereal there was. But it was the healthiest, and Seto ate it all the time. Putting it down before his brother, the little guy watched him automatically begin eating while he read, and Mokuba finished his own meal in better spirits.

There was plenty of time for him to pull out his current interest book, reading about the legends of Africa. Except for Jaques, the goons quietly kept their watch, though from a floor above, a small argument drifted down the stairs from the O'Riley brothers, both more men from the goon squad.

"It's not yer turn!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Yer cheatin'!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Ready to go, sir?" a voice interrupted his listening. The usual goon, Roland, looked at his watch and then to Mokuba. "You have orchestra this morning, I believe."

Mokuba blinked. "I thought I was walking with Seto…" He glanced up at his brother, saw him immersed in yet another page, and nodded to Roland. Putting his tome of legends aside, Mokuba gathered up his book bag and violin before walking out the door with Roland, calling goodbye to his brother.

By the time the response came, Mokuba was halfway down the street, thinking what they would do in science that day.

"Goodbye…"

-

The limousine drove away, and Kaiba glared at the school building before him. Another half-day of wasted time… He strode toward the building, not paying attention to anyone else when someone suddenly pushed by him. Narrowing his eyes at anyone who would dare shove by him, Kaiba was even more annoyed when he saw the blonde head.

"Wheeler," he said lowly, gritting his teeth.

"Eh? Kaiba!" The figure practically squawked before regaining his bravado. "What? You wanna mess wid me?"

"I want you get out of my way." Alone in the windswept desert tundra, no one could have felt more chilled.

Joey glared right back. "Well, you're in _my_ way! Always standin' in my—"

Interrupting him came another person about the same height as Joey. "He doesn't mean anything by it, Kaiba. That's what he's trying to say." Wheeler's companion covered his friend's mouth and looked highly nervous, though he turned a scowl to his friend. "Joey-man, don't get into this," he hissed under his breath.

Kaiba swept by both of them, ignoring Joey's furious attempts to get free and take a swipe at him. "Amateur," he muttered. "Bonkatsu."

That merely made the one spoken of struggle even harder, so that another person came to grip his arms and hold him back. Grabbing onto him did nothing to calm him, so both his friends were working to keep Joey in place.

The newest member cried out, "Calm down, Joey! You'll mess up my hair!"

"Eh, forgetaboutit! You'll pay for dis, Kaiba!" Joey shouted down the hall, waving a fist once his friend finally removed his hand, swearing that Joey had bitten him.

From another person walking by came the question, "What's going on, guys?" This speaker was much shorter and more innocent looking, though his hair made him stand out more than a quiet boy like him would like, or so it seemed.

Joey shook his head in response. "Nuddin', Yuge. You don't wanna know."

The short punk blinked a few times, then shrugged. He adjusted his bag, saying, "Okay, Joey. I'm sure you know what's best."

All four males were about to continue walking to their classroom when a girl stopped in front of them, hands on hips and glaring.

"What? Are you trying to rival Kaiba?" The speaker gave a toss of his hair, waving to some girls giggling as they walked by.

"Stop flirting for one second, Duke Devlin. You might actually know what was going on then."

Duke automatically turned all his attention onto the speaker. "That's it, Tristan!"

Duke and Tristan broke into a scuffle, which everyone but the passing girls ignored. They called for Tristan to let go of Duke, saying he would hurt him.

Not even glancing at the other two, the girl with her hands on her hips stated, "Don't let him take advantage of you, Yugi! And Joey, be nice!" She smacked him on the arm, then crossed her arms and began walking next to the others.

"Nice to see you, Téa," Yugi said, still having a rather shocked expression with his wide eyes.

Joey did not even glance back down the call, instead, simply shouting, "Guys, we're goin'!"

Duke and Tristan instantly stopped the small fight, content to merely try to shove the other out of the path as they went to their homeroom.

Joey immediately took a seat and turned to glare intently at Kaiba, who ignored him as he read a book with the word _Nietzsche _in its title.

Completely baffled, Yugi looked from Joey to Kaiba. "Uh, Joey? What are you doing?"

"Ignore him, Yugi, he's acting like a baby." Téa turned her back to the blonde-headed boy as he fell out of his desk.

"A baby? I'm no baby!"

Another member of the gang had just arrived in order to see the last events. He stopped in his tracks and commented, "Oh, dear. What's going on?"

Duke's collection of girls fawning over him started waving and giggling at the new person who had just walked in. His white hair was past his shoulders and fell in chunks, but his accent and brown eyes obviously attracted the girls. He glanced at them uneasily, then to Duke, and quickly slid into a seat near Yugi.

"Ladies! Why don't I show you another trick?" Duke held out some dice, flashing a smile at the girls, who were back to watching him.

"Show-off," Tristan muttered. Louder, he added, "So then Romeo has no reason to be going after Serenity!"

Duke didn't glance at him, but he grinned as he continued with his little trick.

"Hi, Bakura!"

"Hello. Are you all right, Joey?" Bakura helped Joey back into his desk, very worried about his friend's safety.

"Don't worry about him, Bakura," Téa said. "He's fallen and hurt his brain so much you can't tell if it has changed this time."

"WHAT!"

"Gotta admit, Joey-man, that was a good one."

Joey sunk his head into his arms. "I can't believe my best buds are makin' fun of me!"

"I'm not, Joey! I always stick by you, no matter what."

"Danks, Yuge." His head did not come up from his arms.

"So, what happened?" Bakura asked.

No one could answer, for at that moment, the teacher walked in. Immediately, everyone sat up straight and put complete attention to the front of the room. Well, almost everyone. Silence fell over the students.

A ruler smacked down on Kaiba's desk, its smacking noise accented by the sudden quietness. Still, that did not deter the young CEO. He finished reading his page before slowly looked up from his text.

The teacher's face was completely red. "When I walk in this room, I expect complete attention! I'm a teacher, like a god to you!"

Hardly discernable, a small sound escaped Kaiba's lips. "Hmph."

"_What was that?_"

He did not reply, merely continued glaring at the teacher before him. Reddening even more, the teacher raised the ruler again, his hand shaking with rage.

"This is the last time, Kaiba Seto! Get out of my room now!" The teacher continued huffing in his anger.

"It would be my pleasure." Kaiba gathered his bag, his book, and did not look back.

Silence continued over everyone else who remained on his or her best behavior. Even Joey Wheeler was shocked and not causing trouble. The bell for first period could not come quickly enough. When it finally rang, the gang split into their separate classes, much subdued, though Joey was finally realizing what this meant.

"Guess what? Kaiba's not comin' back!" He gave a little whoop, silence by the hard prod into his ribs. Gasping, he looked up. "What'd you do dat for, Tristan?"

"Man, it's not funny. Do you know what kind of penalties this could have on Kaiba's future life?"

"Like what? He already owns his own corporation. I don't dink you need ta worry about him, Tristan."

"Still," Yugi said quietly.

Only in the short student's sight, a sterner, taller, and wackier-haired version of Yugi floated beside him.

"Kaiba should have learned his lesson by now, Yugi. Maybe, this way, this time, he'll learn it."

"Yeah," he replied miserably. "But I still don't think it should have happened, Yami."

The other being that was within him had no response, or else, he kept it to himself. The latter, however, would be quite a task, as sharing a mind made it difficult to keep secrets from the other.

Meanwhile, the one thought on everyone's mind was thinking of nothing other than what was due at the term for his business. With his new product coming out, an eye-following computer, there was a lot of paperwork that needed to be completed. Out of school, he might have enough time to finish it without staying up all night. And he had been expelled.

After he had left his homeroom, Kaiba debated going to the principal, which is what his teacher had wanted him to do. But, when he truly thought about what would be best, Kaiba went to his locker, packed up all his books, and walked out of the school feeling a lot more freedom.

Even if the school did not know it yet, as soon as they found out he was refusing to go to school again, they would expel him. To Kaiba, nothing better could have happened to him.

At his mansion, booting up his computer, Kaiba quickly sketched over an outline of what he would type up for the description as the computer loaded. At 7:32:16, with school no longer a bother, he completely forgot everyone else.

-

Far away, at the other end of a camera, a figure laughed. "This time, Seto Kaiba, you're finished!"


	2. The Letter and a Promise

Chapter 2 The Letter and a Promise

Mokuba glanced around as other kids milled past him, hurrying back to their respective homes. Even with his short height, he could see no one tall enough to be his brother in the parking lot at his school.

"Master Mokuba! Sir! This way." A man in a back suit and sunglasses gestured to the limousine waiting away from the school's main parking lot.

With a sigh, the boy trudged over, kicking various stones. I guess Seto's too busy to walk back with me today, he thought.

The goons that had arrived to convey him home looked very worried at his silence, but, as usual, they did not comment. Roland kept looking back nervously in the rearview mirror, mainly because he had to look in it at all. Mokuba usually sat in the front.

He sighed, turning back to look at the road. Nothing good would come of this.

&&&

The smallest of air waves was the only indicator that something had changed. Slowly, if one was looking, one could see a black blob pass through the opening and give way to big gray eyes. Then, saddened and silent, the figure silently closed the door once more.

"I guess Seto _is_ busy. I won't practice my violin then, because I'll disturb him." The option of going to another room never passed through his mind. In all the mansion, there were only two rooms Mokuba Kaiba ever felt freely able to enter, and that was his room and, previously, his brother's.

The boy pondered for awhile. "Well, _I_ don't have much work to do, so I guess I'll go outside."

With the sun shining and only a slight wind blowing in the autumn weather, it was the best day for sitting outside and thinking. Of course, the best place for a think was the big tree in the backyard.

"Seto's so busy he won't notice me here," he said to himself, justifying his actions.

With a small grunt, he began hauling himself up the tree, only stopping very near the top where he could feel the breeze move his hair.

Before even three minutes had gone by, Fintan came out of the house, looking directly at him.

"Uh oh…"

Immediately under the tree, the goon looked up, shielding his eyes despite the sunglasses. "Sir, I don't think ya should be up there. Ya could fall ta yer death. Please, sir, be careful!"

"I'm fine, Fintan. Don't worry."

As the goon muttered something in Gaelic, a language Mokuba had been learning from his brother before they had no time, the boy wished he could have understood him. Maybe Duncan would teach him. After all, Duncan was a younger sibling and seemed to take pity on Mokuba more often than Fintan did.

"I'm paid ta worry, and my career is ta worry. I'm a doctor, so don't make me have more work ta do!"

Sighing, Mokuba began climbing back down, thinking, I guess Seto doesn't have to be paying attention to keep me out of the tree. He has his goons well-trained. They could be him…

&&&

"Good. Everything is going according to schedule."

Mokuba perked up, looking at his brother in excitement. "Really, Seto?"

Kaiba was busy taking some of the salad and missed the beaming look sent his way. "I might be able to release the product this week, now that I don't have other distractions in the day."

Studying his plate, Mokuba finally looked up, the puzzled brows evident that no answers had been found in his food. "What other distractions?" He really hoped his brother was not referring to him.

When his brother did not answer, Mokuba changed his tone and warned, "_Set_o…" Exasperated at the continued silence, he burst out, "You don't mean me, do you?"

Kaiba looked at his younger brother. "No, of course not. I'm referring to school."

"But, Seto, you have to go to school. The superintendent already warned you about that before…"

"Don't worry, Mokuba. This time he has no case. I was suspended."

"What!"

Kaiba calmly put a piece of plain lettuce in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed before replying, "It was nothing new. I told them before that I would not take their demeaning tricks to make immature high schoolers obey. Maybe for some ignorant bonkatsus it works, but not for anyone with the IQ to solve simple calculus problems!"

"I don't know calculus," Mokuba said quietly, moving his asparagus into his lettuce.

Kaiba continued without a pause, not seeming to hear his younger sibling, "I prefer to be away from them all. This way, I can actually do something _useful_ and _important_ with my time."

There was a silence, one that only an old clock broke with its steady ticking. It was that very trait that allowed it to remain in this house, since everything else was updated and new.

Finally, Mokuba, staring at his food, asked, "When will you be done with work?"

Kaiba took a sip of milk. "There is an unlimited amount of work in this world, Mokuba. I don't think I'll ever be done. Besides, it's important to keep this company running under a good name, and only hard work can bring that."

"I see."

Shoving back his chair, the boy didn't look at his brother, but went upstairs and closed the door to his room. Fuguta, outside his door, only gave the customary "Hmm?" as Mokuba passed him by. With no response, the goon faced forward again and made no move.

His brother's plate hardly touched, Kaiba nodded at Jaques to take it away.

"When he's hungry, he'll eat better."

Then, not wanting to interrupt his brother's study time, or so he thought it, Kaiba did not knock on his door. Instead, he went back to his room and began typing anew.

&&&

"I think we have enough data, sir. Can we mail the notice, now?"

The evil laughter echoed throughout the room. "Yes. Within a week, they'll be as they should have been from the start! Never again will we lose power because of them. Then, with Mokuba's shares of the company no longer combined with his brother's, we'll be in the perfect position to gain control!"

The collection of suited men all smiled and nodded. This time, no Seto Kaiba would get control of the company, but, instead, the board of directors, who deserved it.

&&&

It was inconspicuous, in a regular white envelope that passed security. The stamp was the average kind purchased by thousands. The handwriting was type, so nothing was given away through that. For all those involved, the letter seemed like one more piece of business mail for Mr. Kaiba, except the return address was from no one they recognized. Shrugging, the goons put it with all the others, confident nothing dangerous was inside.

"Huh? What's this?" Kaiba paused in his walking, looking at the label that said this piece of mail was from a certain county deputy.

Opening it with a glare, he froze in place, reading it once and rereading it again. Still agape, he went back downstairs, picking up the phone as he walked by it, dialing a number long-since memorized.

Looking outside in case this had been hand-delivered, Kaiba waited impatiently for the phone to stop ringing.

"YO's office. How may I help you?"

"Wheeler?"

A small yelp was silenced by the word, "Kaiba!"

There was a small conversation on the other end, then the more familiar voice took over. "Mr. Kaiba. I'm sorry, he's a new secretary."

"That was Joey Wheeler. How could he be your secretary?"

"Well, he's my nephew."

Kaiba vowed to always look up the backgrounds of anyone whose service he wanted to employ. Then he thought a moment. He had. So why did Kaiba not know YO was related to Joey Wheeler? Kaiba had encountered evidence that YO had had a name change before, but the CEO had not bothered to look any farther. If someone felt the need to change his or her name, most likely, the person had absolutely nothing interesting about himself or herself. That was why they would change their name—to become more interesting.

However, even with this information, it was doubtful he would have switched lawyers. In the field of courts, YO was the best.

Formally known as Yale Oaken, no one called him that. In fact, to everyone other than Kaiba, he spoke exactly the same dialect as his nephew did. Sometimes, for jokes, Joey would pretend to be his uncle with the person on the other end knowing no difference. Of course, YO was always furious, but he never fired Joey.

Without another remark, Kaiba said, "I need you to get over here. There's a certain letter I have to discuss with you. Be here as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Kaiba turned toward Roland, giving him a written note. "Turn this in to the office and get my brother out of school _now_."

"Yes, sir," Roland said, gulping. He hastened out the door, paper held firmly in hand.

Then, sitting down in a chair in the living room, he formed his hands into a steeple before him and began contemplating how this could have happened.

&&&

"What's up, nii-sama?" Mokuba asked, swinging his legs from a nearby table.

Kaiba didn't answer, only paced by the door. He stopped abruptly after a turn, for Mokuba was now directly in front of him, staring up at him.

"Something's wrong. You got me out of my last class, so you'd better tell me what happened."

"I'm waiting for YO to get here."

The boy's face paled, and he went back to the living room, taking a seat in a chair this time.

It was only two minutes later that the red Porsche pulled into the walled-in driveway, a man in a suit stepping out of it. A goon quickly escorted him through the doorway, bowing to Mr. Kaiba.

"All right, what seems to be the problem?" Of course, because he was speaking to Mr. Kaiba, YO did not use his nephew's dialect. Doing so would instantly have lost him a client.

Kaiba turned his icy eyes on the lawyer. "They want to take Mokuba away from me."

Mokuba's mouth dropped open, and he ran over to his big brother. "What do you mean? They can't. We're family; they won't take me away." Mostly, this was useless babbling, but Mokuba could not get his speaking under control.

"They have a police order they will be enforcing starting tomorrow. Mokuba won't be able to have contact with me or be within twenty miles of my residence." For a moment, Kaiba's voice expressed some kind of emotion YO had never heard before. "They're putting him in a foster home!" Kaiba's hands clenched and the letter crumpled.

Mokuba looked like he would cry as he asked, too quietly for anyone to hear, "But, why?"

"Let me see that." YO brusquely took the crumpled paper and smoothed it out to read. After several minutes, he had to reluctantly agree that everything was as it should be. The order would be carried out. They couldn't stop it.

"But, Mr. Kaiba, we'll begin working on a trial immediately. They won't be able to win with both of us on the job."

"The trial is in _four weeks_. They have no right to take Mokuba away from me without a warning!"

"I admit a warning is usually needed, unless circumstantial evidence proves the child's safety is too much at risk to wait any longer. They must have gotten some."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, sir, but I will be contacting the judge who authorized this and finding that out. I'll do it now, if you wish."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he cocked his jaw in a determined stance. "I do."

YO nodded, pocketed the letter, and vanished out the door. The goons, faces taut, shut it behind him and remained at their posts.

"Nii-sama," Mokuba hesitated, making a small fist of his own. He still remembered the need to be tough like when they were growing up in the orphanage. "I won't let them take me away!"

Kaiba looked at him sadly. "You won't have a choice, Mokuba."

"But-but…But what about what I want? Don't they care? I don't want to go back to another orphanage!"

Kaiba put a hand before his face, unable to look at his brother's depressed face any longer. "You won't go to an orphanage, but a foster home until the outcome of the trial. Then, they will place you with a true foster family for you to stay with until you become of age. Whether it will be the same as the first or a new one, the letter didn't specify."

Mokuba put his foot down hard. "No! I don't want another family! I just want you, nii-sama," he finished in a whisper, staring at the ground.

Kaiba crouched down before him, putting a hand on each shoulder. "I won't let them take you away, Mokuba. Not ever. Do you understand? I'll work night and day until I come up with an argument that's unbeatable. It'll be like duel monsters, but the deck I have to form is going to be reasons you should be able to stay here."

"You're the best duel monsters' player there is," he replied, a small degree of hope in his voice though his eyes had tears in.

"Duel monsters will be nothing compared to this. You're—" Kaiba broke off, looking away. Then he took a breath and continued lowly, "You're all I have left, Mokuba. I won't let them win."

Mokuba clutched him into a tight hug, arms clinging so tightly they would never release.

&&&

"How cute," the watcher said dryly. "Too bad it's too late. Should've shown such a side before, Seto Kaiba. Now, your brother will be gone forever!"

&&&

The old clock continued to tick away the time, though all who listened to it wished it would slow down. Every tick brought the time they had together closer to an end. After Mokuba finally let go of his brother, they took another seat on the couch, just looking at each other.

Finally, Kaiba asked, "Do you want to play a game of chess?"

His little brother nodded, and they both went upstairs to play the game. If Kaiba's turns took even longer than usual, if there was more time spent thinking and gazing at his brother, Mokuba said nothing, since he was doing the same thing.

After chess, they played Capsule Monster Chess, the holographic image mode, and then duel monsters. By then, Jaques had started dinner, though Kaiba kicked him out of the kitchen and put away everything he had gotten out.

"Can I help?" Mokuba's face looked like a begging puppy's.

"Of course."

From the one container Kaiba had taken out, Mokuba knew what they were making and gave a little smile. But the thought that this might be the last time for his favorite meal with his brother caused it to disintegrate.

Octopus-eye soup. The scent of it simmering on the stove did not cause the usual small thrill of excitement, but only a dull lurch. If it was dinner time, then there were only so many hours left.

Alone, no goons in sight, the brothers ate their soup across from one another, mostly in silence. No matter how slowly the spoons went from bowl to mouth, the clock continued to mark the passing time. At 7:30:23, there was no need to prolong it anymore. Both got up and began gathering dishes to take back to the kitchen.

Everything was put away, though Kaiba doubted he would touch the leftovers when his brother was gone. Still, he said nothing, only started doing the dishes. Mokuba got a towel and started wiping.


	3. Separate

Chapter 3 Separate

_Ring_.

"I've got it, Grandpa!" Yugi picked up the receiver, saying a breathless, "Hello? Kame Games."

"YUGE! I gotta tell you someding!"

"Oh, what's that, Joey?"

"Kaiba's got legal trouble! Maybe he's tryin' ta get back at de school!"

Yugi shook his head at his grandfather, who huffed and left. "Not a customer? Well, you'd better not clog up that phone line, young man!"

"I won't, Grandpa. Sorry," he said to Joey. "What do you mean?"

"I work for my uncle, remember? Well, Kaiba called him and he left in a rush. I haven't seen him since!"

"Oh, that sounds bad. I hope nothing terrible is happening."

"Like what? Rich-boy could pay off anyone he needed ta, Yuge. I dink he's just goin' after Domino High."

"If you say so." Yugi sighed, wishing this kind of stuff did not have a habit of happening at his high school.

"Well, I dought you should know! I'll see you tomorrow—if Kaiba didn't shut down de school! Hmm, I can't believe I'm saying dis, but rich-boy might actually be useful…So long, Yuge!"

"'Bye, Joey."

Yugi spent a moment in contemplation, pondering the meaning of Joey's observation. As always, another being pondered it with him.

"Yami, what do you think it means?"

The figure of the darker Yugi had arms and knees crossed, in deep thought. "Hmm," he said. "I'm not sure. But perhaps we should check on Kaiba."

Yugi looked at Yami and they both nodded. Then, calling out to his grandfather where he was going, Yugi ran out the door, nearly knocking over Téa, who was entering.

"Sorry, Téa," Yugi said, blushing.

"Why the rush?"

"I have to go check on Kaiba!" Yugi got back into his former mindset and hurried out the door once again, panting.

Téa took off after him. "Yugi, wait! Let me come with!"

Though she had called for him to wait, and even though she was wearing platform shoes, Téa still managed to catch up to Yugi in a matter of strides. Easily, she kept pace, asking what was going on.

"I just had a weird conversation with Joey, that's all." He then proceeded to explain everything, saying he just wanted to know what was really going on.

The Kaiba mansion was on a certain street everyone knew. Who hadn't driven by it at least once just to see what it looked like? Walking down the street felt awkward, as Yugi was certain no one just walked down this street. He felt eyes watching him constantly, and Téa experienced it as well, going closer to Yugi. As much as he wished it was for some other reason, he knew she felt uneasy.

For several minutes, they walked by a fence, blocking in a perfectly-kept yard. Yugi could imagine it crawling with maids and servants searching for a single, errant weed that had to be removed. It made him feel even stranger.

Finally, they reached the break in the fence where a car could drive in if the gate opened.

Inside the little hut that was like a tollhouse, a goon inside watched them. Yugi hesitantly walked over to the man in black, looking up at his stern face. In an instant, the puzzle gave a small flare and Yami was glaring at the goon.

"Let us in. We wish to talk with Kaiba."

"I've orders to let no one in except a certain few, and you aren't one of them. Sorry, sir, but you'll have to leave."

"That's not fair! We just got here! And we came because we're worried about Kaiba!" Téa took a menacing step forward.

Yami stopped her. "No, Téa. We'll contact Kaiba in other ways, then. I didn't think he would answer it, but I'll call him. Could I use your phone?"

"What—oh! Here." She dug it out of her purse, a dangly Kuriboh looking shocked to be swinging at the end of it.

The other Yugi took it from her gravely and pressed the numbers, looking shorter as he did so. The real Yugi was back. Obviously, calling a certain person was not something he thought was worthwhile.

Téa was extremely curious. "How do you know his number?"

Yugi gave a closed-eyed grin, making him look even younger. "I know all the phone numbers of my friends!"

Several feet away, the goon continued to watch them, not pleased they were still near. However, he had no orders to remove them, so they remained.

"No one's answering," Yugi said sadly, about to hang up. However, just at that moment, a gruff "Hmm?" came out of the receiver.

"Is Kaiba there?" Yugi asked slowly, uncertain of himself at the sound of the official voice.

"What is your business with Mr. Kaiba? How do you have his home phone number?"

"No business. I'm his friend. Friends have the numbers of other friends! I want to talk with him."

Téa was really curious how Yugi had managed to gain Kaiba's home phone number herself, and she was waiting to ask him. She did not believe Kaiba himself would have given it to him.

"Sorry, sir, but no friends allowed today. Strict orders. Maybe tomorrow." There was click as he put the phone down.

"He hung up on you? How rude!" Téa put a determined look on her face and strode over to the fence, all thoughts of phone numbers abandoned. Looking the fence up and down, she suddenly jumped and struggled to climb up it. Before she could get up another foot, the goon had emerged, and he yanked her off. She tumbled to the ground with an "oof!"

"You're trespassing. I'll call the police on you. Get away from Mr. Kaiba's property now, or you'll have to pay a fine."

"Jeez," Téa responded, rubbing her bottom. "We're going. We were only concerned for Kaiba."

Subdued, they returned to Yugi's home, ignoring Grandpa's muttering about "delinquent youths who left old men to work all day."

-

Sitting before the fireplace where there was no fire, Kaiba stared at his younger brother, who was unhappily looking at the ground. Often, Mokuba looked at Seto, but seeing his brother looking so intently at him, he looked away again.

Mostly to break the silence, Kaiba asked, "Do you want to hack into the government files?" The phrase, _one last time_ remained unspoken.

Normally, Mokuba perked up at the sound of hacking, but this time, he merely shook his head mournfully. Then, sighing, he got up and sat right next to his brother, who made more room for him.

Softly, staring at his hands, the younger boy said wistfully, "I just want to stay like this. Is that all right, nii-sama?"

Focusing intently on the fireplace with no flickering flames, Kaiba took a moment to respond. Then, clearing his throat, he replied, "It's all right, otouto."

Though it was only a little past eight, Mokuba leaned against his taller brother and closed his eyes as if to sleep. Then, unobtrusively, his hand crept over to his brother's. Hands tightly gripped, the minutes passed by them as they appreciated the presence of the other.

-

Eventually, all moments that one longs to grasp and never release somehow slip through the fingers. Mokuba, who didn't want to sleep at all tonight, drifted easily into slumber. Kaiba never moved once his brother fell asleep, and he knew the exact time it happened because of his brother's breathing.

The goons stayed away, though Fintan and Duncan exchanged glances, slapping each other on the back when they turned away, and the twins, Willow and Aspen, looked at each other sadly. Roland took turns shaking his head in his hands to ravaging his brain for anything Mr. Kaiba could have overlooked. However, that was nothing.

The phone rang around 10:30, and Kaiba did not move. Mokuba stirred, muttered, "Seto," and continued sleeping, arms now fully wrapped around his brother in a clinging grip.

"Sir, it's YO." Roland handed over the phone.

"Yes?"

"Sir, the judge confirmed our suspicions. This opposition, whoever they are, and they wish to remain anonymous until the trial, have concrete evidence they will be using. I couldn't ascertain everything, but the judge assured me they had audio and visual evidence of abuse."

"How could they?" Kaiba forgot he was supposed to be quiet, and his harsh tone did what the ring did not: awaken his brother.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily and sitting up, the boy asked, "Huh? What's going on, Seto?"

Kaiba held up one finger, then said, "Did you find out where they got it?"

"No, sir. That is being held confidentially as well until the trial. Do you have any idea of what they are referring?"

"No."

Thinking deeply, Kaiba's eyes narrowed. There was no way they could have such evidence against him—permission was needed before visual evidence could be gathered, and no one had the right to take that, except Mokuba.

Finally, he replied, "I'll think more on this tonight. In the meanwhile, start working on our part of the trial."

"Yes, sir, immediately." YO hung up to begin.

After Roland took the phone once more, Mokuba looked up sorrowfully at Kaiba, again asking what was happening.

"A part of the situation doesn't add up right." He cast a glance at Mokuba, adding, "But don't worry, Mokuba, it doesn't change anything. I'll still find a way around it and come out victorious."

Mokuba had never questioned such speeches before, but this time, with so much at stake, he was not sure he believed his brother.

"Go back to sleep, Mokuba," Kaiba said after awhile. "You need it."

He was going to protest, Mokuba _always_ protested, but then he decided it was not a good time to make a fuss. Sighing, he leaned back onto his brother and struggled to fall asleep. It was not nearly so easy as last time.

-

Around midnight, a call came through the household again. This one was from the goons at the gate, warning that there were people coming through.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we had to admit them. They had police orders."

Kaiba carefully extricated himself from his brother, who had finally fallen asleep half an hour ago. Because he was sleeping, his clinging grip had loosened, and Kaiba managed to escape without waking his brother—or so he thought.

After a small conference with the goons on the phone, there was a stern tap at the door.

"Open up. This is the police with an order. Let us in."

Roland opened the door, bowing them through. The police went straight to Kaiba, demanding, "It is the day of the agreed-upon consequence. We are here to remove the said Mokuba Kaiba to a safer environment."

"It's midnight!"

The police were undeterred. "That's why we're here."

Kaiba was about to start seething when a small voice cut through everyone:

"I can't believe that you would come pick me up in the middle of the night, without giving me proper time to say goodbye to my brother." Tears were streaming down Mokuba's face as he made his stand. "Doesn't twelve years of brotherhood mean anything to you? I wouldn't believe anyone could separate two people who never have anything bad to say of the other!

"My brother is my best friend in the entire world! There's no reason this should have happened. Why would these people do it so discreetly if they were so sure of things? They know what they are doing in wrong, but you still go to carry out their orders without a thought. And you come at midnight! Now I have to prepare for a goodbye that would have been hard before, had I been ready. But you make me have to give it when I am not even prepared."

The police looked properly ashamed, but it didn't change what they had to do. Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, the chief one told him that it was his chance to say goodbye, and he had better take advantage of it.

"In front of all of you?"

The police said nothing, but they did not move.

Mokuba looked directly at his brother, the one who was staring at him with complete dismay and helplessness. Then, despite the hand on his shoulder, he ran forward, giving his brother a tight hug.

"I know I'll come back. I trust you, nii-sama."

"I'll work night and day until we win." Kaiba's hands gripped his brother hard, and the police looked as if they wanted to say something, but their tongues remained silent.

"Don't work _constantly_. You need to get your sleep, Seto, and go back to school."

Despite a buzzing in his ears and a knot in his throat,the CEOhad to remain in control and keep going. Right now, it was important to bind Mokuba in some way to staying well. "So do you. Eat what you're supposed to and keep busy. I don't want—I don't want you to get depressed." The last part was very quiet, and Kaiba's voice was a little husky.

The police had waited long enough, and they began pulling Mokuba back. The boy had not packed, though he would have had time the next day, but the police confirmed someone would be back to pick up belongings if he wrote a list. Then, with one last look at his brother as the police steered him through the doorway, Mokuba saw a small glisten on Seto's face. _He was crying._

They were separate.


	4. Planning

Chapter 4 Planning

Hours passed. Of course they did. Kaiba's internal clock mentally kept track of them. But the rest of what passed was irredeemable. No school usually meant a lot of work was completed, but not this time. For the first four hours, Kaiba did nothing but sit before the newly-made fire, gazing into its roiling depths. Then, quite calmly, he got up and went to his room. There, he began taking notes on factual information that could be of some help in the trial.

When five o'clock passed an hour later, hit ears automatically sharpened to hear any sign of his brother stirring. With a scowl, he began to write more furiously. Completely absorbed in his work, the goons knew to leave him alone, even though Roland knew some information he was not supposed to disclose.

At ten o'clock, Kaiba sat up straighter in his chair and observed all that he had completed. It seemed like scantily little.

"What information could they possibly have to take my little brother away from me?"

Pacing and occasionally glancing out the window, his thoughts delved deep within once more.

-

"Oh, what a poor child!" The woman in red nearly smothered Mokuba as she pressed him into an embrace. "If I had known how terrible the CEO of Kaiba Corp was, I would have done something sooner! The Janukas have plenty of prestige of their own, my dear."

Her husband nodded. "I daresay you'll find our living conditions much the same as what you have known. Now come, Mokuba, let's go to our home."

Silently trudging after them, he cast one look back at the police, but they were already gone with other matters. Sighing, he crawled into the back of their limousine, preparing for the worst.

Mrs. Januka beamed at him from where she sat across from him. "We've always wanted a son of our own!" she burst out proudly, hands clasped before her. "Now, I can hardly wait to be your mother."

"I don't need a mother anymore. All I need is my brother." But his words were too quiet for them to hear.

He could not understand why they had taken him away, especially so early. All it did was cause him to wait in the police station for nine o'clock to come. It took three hours to reach the Januka's home, and though they had just come from such a road trip, they welcomed Mokuba, signed the papers, and were bringing him back home with them.

Three hours away from Seto, he through sadly, gazing out the window.

"Mokuba, why don't you tell us what you are interested in? Did you already make your list for the police to pick up later from your old place?"

The list was blank except for one word: nii-sama. "Yes."

Mr. Januka gave his wife a look, then prodded, "And what would you like to do when you get to your new home?"

"I don't know."

With the enthusiastic woman about to open her mouth again, her husband shook his head sharply. Whispering so Mokuba couldn't hear him, he said, "Give him some time. It is inevitable that he must adjust."

Somewhat sullenly, the woman relented, gazing out of her own window. At least to one of them, three hours of silence was better than three hours of painful chatter.

-

"I told you somedin' was up! See, Yuge, dey wouldn't let you in for an important reason. And my uncle won't let me work for him right now. He doesn't need anyone ta answer de phone, because he's not lettin' anyone call him but Kaiba!"

Yugi's eyes were wider than usual. "Wow. I wonder what happened."

"So do I."

Tristan shook his head. "You just want to torment him about it. Besides, I thought you thought it was about getting suspended from school."

"Naw. Rich-boy wouldn't make such a fuss about dat." Joey instantly hunkered down and began the painful process of thinking. For once, he was not having an eating contest with Duke and Tristan.

Bakura looked worried. "Maybe we shouldn't pry, guys. It _is_ his business. Let him solve it his way."

"We're not prying, Bakura. We're just concerned!" Téa pushed her tray over to Tristan, since she was finished. He managed to spit out a "thank you."

"Even if Kaiba is always rude to us and tells us to mind our own business, we owe it to Mokuba to try to help him! I'm sure if Kaiba is that business, Mokuba must not be having a good time. We should invite him over to your house, Yugi."

"Good idea, Téa!" Yugi exclaimed. "I'll go over to his school to see if he wants to come. Maybe he'll play some games with us."

Tristan was busy gulping, but he nodded. Joey was too caught up in trying to think that he didn't hear anything. But Bakura approved.

Duke, however, had other plans. "I have to go run my store after school. Sorry, but I'm too busy."

Tristan finally swallowed. "Well, if you're so busy, Duke Devlin, maybe I'll go pay a visit to Serenity after we invite Mokuba over."

"Tristan!" The sound of his sister's name brought Joey back to the present. "Leave my sista alone! Both of you!" Glaring fiercely, Joey dared either one to protest. Fortunately for the hall monitors, they stayed quiet.

After school, Yugi rushed through his chores, racing over to Mokuba's school. Once there, he glanced at his watch.

"Oops. I'm about thirty minutes early. I'll just sit and wait."

Head in hands, Yugi was busy talking to Yami when Téa walked up with five minutes to the last bell.

"Should we go and see what locker is his? We can wait for him there."

"Okay!"

The secretary shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we don't have record that Kaiba Mokuba was in school today. Maybe you should call his home. I am unauthorized to disclose any information concerning it."

"Huh? All right…"

Sadly, Yugi walked outside, really concerned as to what was happening.

"You know, Yugi, I'll bet they took a little trip. They've done it before in the middle of the school year. Kaiba has business and Mokuba sometimes gets to go. He _is_ the vice president, after all."

"Yeah, maybe." Yugi kicked a rock, watching skitter away from his feet. "I guess I'll just go back home and do my homework. See you later, Téa!"

"Bye, Yugi!"

-

Roland couldn't wait any longer. Tapping on Mr. Kaiba's door, he knew he risked his career and life. But he had to tell Mr. Kaiba.

"Sir?"

"What is it?" Kaiba snapped.

"I have important information, sir. I think you should take a listen to what I have to say."

Irritably, Kaiba opened the door. "Yes?"

Nervously, Roland handed over a piece of paper. Fugata quit, sir. And he knows where Mokuba is. He's staying with him, sir."

"What? How can that be allowed?"

"Well, sir, the family who adopted him thought it would be nice to have someone Mokuba knew with him for awhile, and they also thought having a trained goon would work well in their mansion."

"Mansion? Who are these people?"

"Well, you know I'm not supposed to say, sir." Roland just looked at Kaiba a moment, then continued, "Their name is Januka, sir. The ones that own the convenient store. They got him."

Kaiba's face narrowed in his anger, but he didn't lash out at Roland, being in complete control of himself. "I see."

"And, sir, they know Fuguta and I are good friends. I have everyright to correspond with him."

Kaiba almost smiled. "I see. Thank you for disclosing this information to me, Roland. Keep me updated on how Fuguta is doing."

"Yes, sir," Roland replied, hiding his own smile.

-

The approaching trial enveloped both Kaiba and YO's time. Without knowing what they were facing in opposition, they did what they could to best prepare, but neither one of them had any hope on their faces as they looked over their work.

Roland did indeed keep a very detailed relationship with his dear friend Fuguta, and he reported how Mokuba was doing as often as he could.

"He's the same, sir: doesn't do much around the house, doesn't do his homework, and plays depressing music on his violin."

While Mokuba's list may only have had one thing on it, Kaiba had sent away some of his favorite books, games, and, of course, his violin.

"Hmm." Easing back into his chair, Kaiba debated what he could do since he wasn't even supposed to know how his brother was faring. "Why don't you correspond to Fuguta by mail?"

"They'd check it, sir."

Kaiba waved aside the implication. "I don't think they'd know how to check for _my_ codes. And besides, why should Fuguta have any reason to have his mail checked? It is not as if he commonly shares it with Mokuba."

"If you're sure, sir."

"I am."

Roland nodded and left, already getting some paper to use for sending his friend a letter. As he soon as he walked out the door, another goon tapped on the door, and Kaiba impatiently let him in.

"I'm sorry to be the one to bring you this news, sir. But you must know." Sung, the goon from China, bowed as he placed several papers on Kaiba's desk. Also the psychiatrist, he watched to see Kaiba's reactions and what it could mean for his mental health.

Whitening, Kaiba scanned the pages, muttering to himself. Then, setting them aside, he commented, "We'll manage to bring them back up. Once the new project is out, everything will be fine. I'm just too busy with the trial right now."

Sung bowed in acknowledgement, even though he was thinking it was the tardiness of bringing out the new project that had aided their low sales. Kaiba had announced to have his project released a week ago. Now, with no new updates released, clients were upset.

Leaving the room, he cast one glance back at his master, seeing him immerged in numerous papers. The ones Sung had delivered were in their own pile in the corner.

-

Grades dropping, happiness failing, Mokuba spent his days in his rooms, avoiding his new parents. Mrs. Januka was obviously worried, but her husband continued to convince her that the boy needed time to adjust.

The only person Mokuba let speak with him was Fuguta. But even to his former goon, he had little to say. Concerned, Fuguta sent back written word on how Mokuba was faring.

Roland reported it to Kaiba.

Though still debating, Kaiba knew he had to take the action. Maybe the police would find out about it or perhaps they would not. But his brother obviously needed something to help him right now.

Taking the letter Roland was going to return to his best friend, Kaiba began writing over it in a new laser pen he had developed but not released on the market yet. When put into water, the marks would appear.

After making certain Roland believed Fuguta would get the hint written in the letter, Kaiba returned it and let him send it away.

-

"Hmm?" Fuguta reread his new letter, stopping to notice something peculiar. The last word on every line formed a sentence, which helped him see why Roland was writing such odd things. Aloud, he murmured, "Mokuba is to get this."

Shrugging, he thought there was no reason _not_ to send the boy this message. Maybe he would understand more.

"Here, sir." Fuguta handed over the letter when Mokuba had finally opened his door to the knocks.

Puzzled, he took it and closed the door once more. Reading the note Roland had written, Mokuba could not understand why Fuguta had given it to him. "Why did he have to show me this? I can't correspond to anyone in that house!" As was usual, he started to cry at the thought of his brother.

A few tears spattered on the page, and through his watery eyes, Mokuba noticed blue marks coming through. Mind racing, he jumped up to go to the connected bathroom. There, he carefully wet the rest of the paper, face breaking into a great beam as he recognized the scrawl for his big brother's.

_Mokuba,_ he read,_ I trust you are still doing well. I don't want you to be depressed all this time. I wish I could say more, but I don't dare. I'm working on bringing you back home. Seto._

Hugging the letter to his chest, Mokuba ran to his journal and wrote everything that had happened. His happy mood was not to last long, however, for there was a flaw in the plan.

"But how can I write back, nii-sama? I don't have your pen."

Even with that to think of—probably _because_ of that, the rest of the night passed by quicker than usual with the silence at the table not as strained.

Mrs. Januka noticed Mokuba was not as down, and smiled at her husband, who returned the gesture. Therefore, they did not bother trying to hold Mokuba at the table any longer than necessary, allowing him to go do what he wished. Maybe they would hear a happy song tonight.

The song came, but only after a few more hours had passed. Fuguta had visited, pointing out the code Roland had used, and saying he could write something similar. After planning out his short sentence, Mokuba went to his violin and played a jig, wishing the O'Riley brothers were here to dance to it.

-

Thus the correspondence continued. It was never much, but at least they had one way of communicating. The trial came ever closer, and Kaiba worked more on that. Finally, any Kaiba Corp business was permanently stalled until further notice. The company was losing money and prestige, but Kaiba didn't care.

Their argument was finished, but it did not seem like enough. It was not right that someone could force him to give up his brother without explaining the evidence until the trial.

Pounding a fist on the table, the cup of tea sloshed around, nearly spilling over the rim.

"Sir?"

"The trial is tomorrow, Roland, but they still won't let me see my brother until the results are in my favor."

The goon hesitated, then honestly replied, "I'm sorry, sir."

Gazing out the window, Kaiba fell into silence. The last little note from his brother was crumpled in his hand, with the small phrase that made him feel completely inferior and useless: _I trust you, nii-sama._

The CEO of Kaiba Corporation could come up with new inventions to keep the buyers interested, make new rules to make the game more challenging, study any topic in books and understand them, beat almost anyone at any game, but when it came to this, he was a failure.

He couldn't manage to keep his brother safe.


	5. The Trial

Chapter 5 The Trial

The fourth week of utter loneliness finally passed. The day of the trial had come. The Janukas were driving up, of course, and would be present. But police instantly escorted them to their place at the trial. On neither side in the actual proceedings, they were given a seat somewhat behind the prosecuting side.

Mokuba looked all around for his brother, but he couldn't see over the taller people all around him. Mr. Januka was on one side of him and Mrs. Januka the other, and they appeared nervous and tense at having to go through this.

In a respectable black suit, he looked like a miniature of Mr. Januka beside him, though the reference was one Mokuba wished the kind old lady behind him had not mentioned.

Kaiba was at his designed seat on the left facing the judge, though his straining to see Mokuba was much more fruitful. After catching a glimpse of his brother, Kaiba's eyes rested on the leering two men on the prosecuting side.

YO leaned in and whispered, "They call themselves Mr. Yara and Mr. Gato. But they're only the lawyers of the real ones leading the attack. I haven't found the real men in charge, yet, sir."

"Hmm."

Minutes passed by, until the bailiff commanded everyone to stand to honor the presiding judge. Mokuba was the first to jump to his feet, managing to catch a snatch of his brother's brown head. Then, everyone else was also standing and the moment had passed.

The judge, with his flowing black robes, took a seat, enabling everyone else to do the same. He called the court the order and it soon all began.

The prosecution finally made it clear exactly what they were proposing to argue to keep Mokuba from his brother.

"We have incriminating evidence—evidence no one can fail to acknowledge—that the poor boy was being neglected and ignored. How could someone fail to be there for a child when he needs it most? This age range that Mokuba is in is one of the hardest. There are so many changes going on around and within him that if the wrong person is influencing him, Mokuba will never recover. This wrong person is his brother, Seto Kaiba. He's too busy with his work, with the company, when he does anything useful at all, or else he is absent from the house. Whenever he _is_ there, he is moody and forgetful of his brother.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I would hope you make the right decision today, a decision that could change this boy's future. Remember how easily children's minds are swayed and how vulnerable Mokuba is at this time of his life. Give Mokuba something constant and stable in his life, and make that consistency a relationship made out of love."

YO glanced at Kaiba, then stood to give his opening statement, though Kaiba did not hear any of it. The words of the other lawyer were still resounding in his ears, making him deaf to anything else.

I was working a lot…he began thinking. Yet, now, it was anything but work. All Kaiba had done was try to come up with the perfect defense. Surely that would count in his favor.

Several minutes later, it was obvious that would not.

"From just recently, we have discovered the said Seto Kaiba has been ignoring his work. While this might have been allowed if he was then spending time with his brother, it was only once Mokuba was gone. This shows his unreliability and lack of being able to care for his brother.

"We now wish to call a witness to the stand. Please come forward, Mokuba Kaiba."

Heads swiveled and turned as the small form slowly got to his feet and marched across the floor. He had agreed to be a witness since he would tell everyone how wrong they were and that he wanted to be with his brother.

Kaiba's eyes were focused completely on the boy trying to hold this moment of seeing his brother in his mind. It had already been such a long time…

Mokuba was sworn in, only his pale face visible over the stand. The opposing lawyer was before him, pacing.

"How often did you have time to play games or merely talk with your brother? Remember that you took an oath to tell the entire truth."

Mokuba squirmed uncomfortably. Unable to look at his brother, he bowed his head. He muttered, "Not very often, but it wasn—"

"Thank you. Now, can you tell me if you felt lonely during the times your brother was not around?"

Again, Mokuba squirmed in his chair. He did not raise his head, only murmuring, "You're not listening to my answers."

The judge looked over his spectacles at the boy, saying, "Answer the question, Mokuba Kaiba."

Sighing, he blurted, "If I felt lonely, I don't blame Seto! He has work to do and I usually see him enou—"

Again, the lawyer cut off his reply by continuing, "So, you feel lonely when you are not around him, and you are more often alone than with him. Do you ever need to talk to others and tell them about your day? Do you feel some other people act more like guardians than your brother, as they are there when you need them?"

Shifting uneasily in his chair, Mokuba did not answer. The judge again looked at him sternly, demanding he answer the attorney. At first, his reply was inaudible. Then, as the judge prodded him to speak up and reminded him of his oath, Mokuba's word rang out.

"Yes."

Kaiba did not respond in any way. He thought he was past feeling the pain—thought that the lawyers were the only ones who could inflict such pain. But now, he truly thought about the situation his brother was in. When he did, Kaiba didn't like what he noticed.

"Thank you, we have no further questions." With a smirk, the lawyer stepped down from the front of the courtroom.

YO stood to cross-examine, but Kaiba feared it was hopeless. Even if Mokuba said some good things now, it wouldn't take away the truth from the other side. He refused to look at his brother or anyone else, staring intently before him.

Mokuba glanced up hopefully, knowing YO wouldn't let him down. It wasn't right the other lawyers had made him criticize his older brother. Now, he deserved a chance to explain himself.

Pacing a little before the judge, YO took on a look of great contemplation.

"Now Mokuba, I heard you say that you think others sometimes act more as your guardian. But, is that what you really want? A guardian? Don't you want someone else who can fulfill your emotional needs as well?"

"Objection, Your Honor," the other lawyer said, standing. "He's leading the witness."

"Sustained. Please keep your questions free of any bias."

"Yes, Your Honor." YO hid his annoyance well, for being one of the best meant he was great at acting against how he felt. "Mokuba, tell everyone how you feel about your brother."

Mokuba's eyes brightened. All the hours away from Seto had greatly improved the readiness of his answer, as each day he had run a litany of reasons he wanted his brother back and why.

"Nii-sama's the best! Even if he's busy, he's never mean to me or ignores me completely. We don't play games all the time, but what family does? I know there are other kids who live in worse situations, but no one targets them! I have no complaint against Seto and only want to be back with him. Without him, I feel like I am not myself. Without him—" he stopped abruptly, then took a deep breath and said quieter, "Without him, I see no reason to live."

YO let his witness's words sink in to the jury. Then, he continued. "I understand you completely, Mokuba. Do you feel you see and talk with your brother enough?"

The boy glared at the other lawyers. "Even when my brother has a big project to do, I still get to see him. He takes care of me and I look after him. We both need the other."

"Thank you, Mokuba." YO looked at the judge, adding, "We have no further questions, Your Honor."

Mokuba could step down. As he did so, he tried to see Kaiba's face, but the bailiff hurried him onward and it did not seem as if Kaiba made any effort to catch his face.

The Janukas welcomed him back, and Mrs. Januka had tears in her eyes. She hugged him close, ignoring his lack of encouragement.

"I never knew it was that way with you! But, Mokuba, I'm sure there will come a time when you must learn to separate from your brother. I think he doesn't need you as much as you think."

Mokuba scowled and would have shoved the woman away, but doing so might hurt the trial, so he restrained himself.

More witnesses were called, among them a few teachers of Mokuba's, commenting on how he behaved at school; a psychiatrist, attempting to explain away Mokuba's attachment to his brother; and even a few members of the goon squad. They were expressionless, refusing to say any ill word against Mr. Kaiba, even when the real evidence was finally revealed.

"Your Honor, I have here tapes that prove how Mr. Seto Kaiba truly treats his brother. We have taken the liberty of having them set up and prepared, so please watch this."

Everyone focused on the tapes before them.

Kaiba was glaring as he saw familiar objects and rooms before his eyes. This was _his_ house!

He was about to protest aloud, but YO placed a hand on his arm, indicating he understood what was going on and had a plan to deal with it appropriately. Nettled, Kaiba leaned back and remained silent.

There were clips showing Mokuba all alone in his room, flopping onto his bed in boredom. There were episodes that emphasized how Kaiba was constantly working. There were pieces that displayed the goons acting more concerned for Mokuba than his own brother. And there was one clip Kaiba wished had never happened. On that one, he was yelling at his brother to take care of some business the boy had promised to do. Yet, it was not done fast enough for Kaiba(on that day, nothing would have been fast enough), and he had taken out his concern and annoyance completely on his brother. The camera zoomed in on Mokuba's tears as he slammed shut the door and ran outside. Then, it went dark.

Everyone was silent. At that time, the Kaiba's fate was sealed.

The defense did their arguments, but they seemed to fall on ears stuffed full of cotton. In fact, the jury only appeared to come to life again once the judge told them to go reach of verdict. The intermittent time dragged on, though it was really only twenty minutes for them to find their answer.

"The jury finds Seto Kaiba, in regards to the guardianship of Mokuba Kaiba, his brother, guilty for emotional abuse and neglect, therefore not making him a responsible figure in Mokuba's life to grow up around. The said Mokuba will remain with the Januka family with periodical visits from a social worker to see how the new setting is working out. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba cannot respond in any way under penalty of law. Court is adjourned."

The judge pounded his gavel, signaling all the people to rise at he left. YO pulled on Kaiba's arm; otherwise, he would not have known when to stand or what to do. His ears were ringing and refusing to let him hear. Surely the judge had not said Mokuba could not return. It must have been the ringing in his ears that made him hear that.

Over the dim talking and rustling as the crowd left, one small voice cried out, "Nii-sama!" But then, it was shushed and gone.

Alone, YO finally leaving, the janitors sweeping the floor, Kaiba stared at the wall, seeing the tape, the judge's mouth saying the verdict, and the smug look on the prosecuting side. Then, his ears echoed the last sound of his brother.


	6. New Lives

Chapter 6 New Lives

It was a few days before he dared to send the letters. After all, Mokuba easily heard the judge's order. But it seemed to the boy that no one understood the connection between the brothers. They did not understand that he and Seto forgave each other easily. Yes, his brother may have ignored him and yelled at him at times, but that was not the reason he loved his brother. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about his big brother's good side. So, until this situation was resolved, he would continue to write to his nii-sama, as that was all he had to look forward to each day now.

During the time he had not dared to send his brother letters, Mokuba had been writing regular letters, telling him everything that happened throughout the day. Translating even one into the code would be difficult. Yet, this was so he could talk to his brother, so he would do it.

Fuguta took the first letter Mokuba had completed and mailed it, pleased to be of use and not minding at all that the law was in the process of being broken. Then, though he was waiting for the reply as well, Fuguta did not have half of the excitement that Mokuba had.

Now, with something to hope for, the boy made it through his school days and the tedious conversation with the Janukas. The mail was always first on his mind, but he struggled to hide it from anyone who was getting a little too curious. The Janukas, for one, were giving him odd little looks whenever he asked about mail. The only person Mokuba knew he could trust here was Fuguta.

As to the social worker the judge required him to see, the Janukas did not press it yet. Mokuba hoped they would forget they ever needed to make him see one. Yet, he knew it was unlikely the judge would forget, even if his foster parents did. But still, anything seemed positive when he had his correspondence with his brother to look forward to. Mokuba hoped Seto would write back quickly.

-

YO had tried to leave messages, but they were never answered. To Kaiba, it was all worthless. An appeal was expected by the prosecution anyway. But, mostly, Kaiba realized he deserved it. The tapes had brought everything back to mind. All the times he had treated his brother disrespectfully or ignored him…he did not deserve his little brother. Even so, Kaiba missed him more than ever.

Therefore, instead of working, Kaiba spent his time alone in his room, looking at photo albums occasionally. Most often, he merely contemplated.

A goon dropped off the mail each day, and it was with a great thudding of his heart that the CEO looked through it. Then, five days after the trial, there appeared a thick envelope with the writing of Fuguta on it.

Nervous for some reason, Kaiba ripped open the envelope, hands trembling as he struggled to read the words. Even such a simple sentence of "Hello, nii-sama!" made his eyes water.

The rest of the encoded letter contained Mokuba's sadness at their permanent parting as well as anger at anyone even bringing up a reason for a trial. He begged his brother to try to do something. Then, at the end, he wrote that he hoped his brother would write back soon, as Mokuba could hardly wait to hear from him.

In Kaiba's ears still echoed many voices. Now, it was his own that caused him to close his eyes and lean back against the bed from his seat on the floor.

"_You're all I have left, Mokuba. I won't let them win."_

He had lied to his brother. He had failed. If there were something Seto Kaiba was always proud of, it was the fact that he never lost. Yes, in Duel Monsters he had lost, but that reaffirmed the fact that he must _not ever_ lose again. Now, when the most important part of his life had been under threat, he had lost again. There was nothing left for him anymore.

With the emotionless efficiency people in the business world could only dream of exhibiting, Kaiba wrote his brother a short message. It would be better to be forgotten. Mokuba needed to move on in his life. Maybe he could grow for the better with people who didn't lie. Yet, with Kaiba around and alive, Mokuba would always be clinging on, hoping for the unattainable. It would not be a good way for his younger brother to make it in the world. Because he owed it to his brother to help him live the best life, Kaiba had to send the letter.

-

With a small smile, the goon went over to his charge's door. He knew how anxious Mokuba was for any piece of mail. Knocking on the door, Fuguta could hardly have been any happier if he had been Mokuba.

The door opened before him. "Sir, you have mail." Fuguta had hardly extended his arm before the boy had jumped up and strained to reach the envelope. With great excitement, Mokuba tore open the mail and began reading eagerly, not even immediately aware that the ink was instantly visible.

For a moment, Fuguta saw the happiness on the short boy's face remain pasted there. Then, it crumbled into utter desolation and depression. About to ask what the problem was, he never had a chance; Mokuba shoved him out the door and locked it. Mokuba's body thudded against the other side.

Slowly, he slid down to the ground, wanting to reread the message. What if he had misunderstood? No. There was no way to misunderstand one line. One line.

One short sentence was all it contained. The message was not even in the special pen this time. Tears coursed down Mokuba's face as he cried into his arms. He wished someone could have been there who would understand and care. But no one would ever comfort him again. He could never trust anyone again. He was alone.

The innocent-looking paper decorated the ground, hardly crumpled. Face-up, the words blared into the ceiling, hardly caring that they had just ruined Mokuba's life forever:

"_Do not write to me again, Mokuba Januka."_

_-_

There came a time a few weeks after the trial that Roland bravely dared to enter Kaiba's room with news. It was bravely because Roland had been in the room before. And each time he went in, he never wanted to reenter it because of the way Mr. Kaiba acted.

Nervously licking his lips, Roland waited to be acknowledged. He never was. Even more anxious, the goon spoke up on his own:

"Sir, the company has taken a serious downfall. If we don't do something soon, we'll go bankrupt."

Roland looked at his employer, wishing, for the first time, that the CEO would yell at him or throw something. At least then, the glassy expression on his face would be gone. But Kaiba did not please Roland. Instead, the young man registered that Roland was there, but his brain did nothing behind his eyes.

Helpless, Roland asked, "Sir, what should we do?"

Kaiba gave an odd laugh. That was one thing the goon would rather have had Kaiba never do again.

In a voice that did not sound like his own, the CEO said, "I would quit. That way, you'd save yourselves some time as you start looking for new employment."

Unable to answer, wishing the echoes of the fey laugh would leave his ears, the goon stared aghast at him until leaving the area quickly.

-

There was a goon squad meeting that night in their rooms of the mansion. It was time for them to take some action. Already, two-and-half weeks had gone by since the end of the trial. More than two of them hadseen Mr. Kaiba acting strangely. What was worse was that Fuguta reported Mokuba had also been acting strange for nearly the same amount of time.

"Misters Kaiba need our help. We got ta do somethin'!"

"Calm down, brother. We _are_ goin' ta do somethin'. Just give us a little time. Why else do ya think we gathered here?" Fintan playfully smacked his younger brother's shoulder, making the thirty-two-year old man seem like the younger one.

Roland called everyone to order, taking roll call. "O'Riley brothers are here," he muttered to himself. "Willow and Aspen?" The twins nodded their dark heads to him. "Jaques?" Roland had barely asked before he saw the chef's hat over the heads of the dark-suited goons. "All right, Sammy?"

"Here," the new guy said, turning slightly pink as he realized how much he sounded like a grade-schooler. Being the newest member of anything was never easy. Yet, it seemed Sammy was destined to forever be "the new guy." Mr. Kaiba was hiring no one at the moment.

Roland continued, "Sung?" The psychiatrist gave a serious affirmative. "Gwalin?" This time, everyone else looked around.

After the mutterings of the goons quieted, Sung said, "He is watching Mr. Kaiba. I thought it would be a good idea with the way he is."

"You're right." Roland quickly finished with the last ten goons, looking up when he was finished. "We need a plan to save this company from bankruptcy."

"And we need ta get back Mokuba!" Duncan added.

"Of course. But right now, Mr. Kaiba is not listening to YO's advice to appeal."

"He is depressed," Sung commented softly.

Roland continued without a pause, "So we are here to make our plans complete. You all know th—"

There was a clattering and scuffle from above them, then a small man dropped into their midst from the ventilation shaft. His wild eyes matched his scruffy hair and beard, making him truly look like a dwarf out of one of Mokuba's favorite books, _The Lord of the Rings_.

His gruff voice barked out, "Fintan, come quickly! Mr. Kaiba just tried something drastic!"

The doctor rushed after the small man, grabbing his bag of medicines as he went. Sung was quick to follow as Roland picked up the phone to call for help.

At the entrance to the bathroom, Gwalin paused, opening the door. "I stopped him from finishing it, but he did it so quickly I could not halt him completely. After he was in the bathroom for so much time and so quiet, I grew suspicious and peered in. This is what I found." Gwalin pointed to the CEO's crumpled form on the floor of the bathroom where it sat in a pool of blood. Nearby was a razor, the lights innocently winking on its shiny blade—shiny, at least, where blood had not forever stained it.

Fintan raced over to start binding his wrists better than Gwalin had done after discovering him. Muttering to himself, he wrapped the still-bleeding wounds as tightly as possible to halt the blood flow, but it seemed so much blood was already lost.

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba," he whispered. "How could ya do it?" He sighed and shook his head, adding, "And why did ya have ta be so smart as ta know the best place ta slice?"

The ambulance could not arrive soon enough, and when it did, they began a quick blood transfusion. Gwalin talked to police and Fintan hopped into the ambulance. The remainder of the goons sealed up the Kaiba mansion and prepared to undertake their plan.

-

"Okay, guys. Something is obviously very wrong. Why doesn't one of you spill it?" Téa took her usual stance, glaring from Joey, to Tristan, to Yugi.

Under her scrutiny, Yugi easily crumbled, much to the dismay of the others and even Yami. "Well, Joey's uncle YO—" Yugi began.

"Don't do it, Yuge. I told you it was _top secret_."

"Oh, come on, Joey," Téa burst out. "As if you could ever keep a secret!"

"I know. Dat's why I don't wanna talk ta you!" Joey slapped one hand on Yugi and one on Tristan. "Let's go, guys."

She stomped her foot. "I don't believe you told them but won't tell me! I thought I was your friend, Joey!"

"You are. It's just, I can't tell anyone. I wasn't suppose ta tell dese two, but it ended up dat dey were around when I got da phone call. I accidentally shouted somedin' I shouldn't've." Joey, for once, looked very embarrassed.

"It's for your own good, Téa," Tristan said gravely. "You really don't wanna know. Now, we have somewhere to go, so we're outta here."

Téa narrowed her eyes, but watched them leave. Yugi was the only one who looked as if he wanted to say something more to the girl, but he did as Joey requested and only glanced back once.

With a wicked grin, Téa began following after them from a distance, deciding it was time to get back at Joey and Yugi for trailing after her to find out where she worked. She certainly hadn't wanted them there, but they had not listened, so she had no reason to listen to them now.

About thirty feet ahead of her, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were hastening down the road. They were mostly silent, as they could not think of anything optimistic to say.

Finally, Joey couldn't hold back anymore. "What'd he go do dat for?"

Yugi turned his big eyes to his friend. "I think you know why, Joey," he replied quietly. "You heard the results of the trial. And you know how close the Kaiba brothers are."

"Maybe, but it still doesn't seem like someding moneybags would go do."

Tristan shook his head. "Maybe going to see him isn't the best idea."

Joey looked like he agreed, but Yugi said adamantly, "We have to go! He's our friend!"

Inside the boy's mind, another voice made a derisive snort. "He's _your_ friend, Yugi. I would never consider Kaiba my friend. A good rival perhaps, but nothing more."

"Yami!" Yugi's utter shock made him stop walking.

The other two looked at him, hating hearing only one side of the conversation.

Joey grabbed the puzzle hanging from Yugi's neck and gave it a little shake. "What's goin' on in dere, eh? I dink you should come out when you talk and den switch back and forth so we can hear all de answers!"

"Uh, Joey-man," Tristan said, "that would be a lot of switching."

Joey shrugged. "It'd be betta den sittin' in de dark all de time. So what's goin' on, Yuge?"

"Uh, nothing. Let's just go see Kaiba before visiting hours are over."

The other two shrugged and resumed walking.

-

The hospital loomed in front of them like a rock wall no one wanted to try to go through. The doctors in white uniforms and nurses bustling about gave it a sense of dread, as if someone were dying right before their eyes.

Inside, there were people who looked at them silently, depths of blackness in their eyes, echoing the inner screams of grief within their souls. They did not seem to care that they were mindlessly staring at visitors and that it might be rude; rude no longer had a definition to them. The ways of the living had died with their relation or friend.

None of the trio said anything, hating the scent of sterilizers and medication. Going immediately to the front desk, they tried to get this over with as quickly as possible. Even Yugi was not feeling as enthusiastic as before. Behind them, Téa hurried through the door and waited behind a pillar for them to keep going.

"Why are they here?" she mused, looking around. "Who's in the hospital? Oh no! I hope it's not Yugi's grandpa!" She put a hand before his mouth, eyes wide and about to cry.

Among the three, they left the talking to Yugi. He was the most diplomatic of them all.

"Can you please tell me which room Seto Kaiba is in?" Yugi's spiky hair was the only thing easily visible from the top of the desk.

The nurse stared at all their apparel, wondering, as she commonly did, what young people were into these days. Yugi had a very unusual hairstyle, though he at least was still nicely displayed in his uniform. The other two might have had more normal-looking hair, but they also had untucked shirts and had big scowls on their faces, looking as if they wanted to fight anyone who came near them.

She was not certain about admitting them, but in relief, the name gave her an excuse, making her not have to come up with one on her own. "Seto Kaiba? I'm afraid he is not having visitors. You'll have to try again some later time and bring identification with you. I'm sorry."

They looked at each other and then turned around when a girl's voice gasped out, "Kaiba?"

"Téa! I told you ta go away!" Joey scowled his fiercest at her, but she ignored him.

"What do you mean Kaiba's in the hospital?"

The others were loathe to talk. Tristan stared at the ground, Yugi scuffed his shoe, and Joey glared at her. The nurse behind the desk was also watching them closely, wondering what they were still doing here after she had warned them they could not see Seto Kaiba. The security button was constantly near her fingers.

The three boys pulled Téa out of the hospital, breathing in the fresh scents gratefully. Also, away from the people whose eyes only saw death, it was easier to draw each breath and not feel guilty.

"All right, I'll come clean." Joey raised a fist. "But you have ta keep it quiet! YO wasn't supposed ta tell me, his _nephew_, and I wasn't suppose ta tell a single person."

"Well, I'm surprised it's not published in the papers yet," Téa retorted.

Joey's eyes went blank. "Huh? You mean because I work for deliverin' de papers?"

Tristan shook his head, moaning, "Téa, don't confuse him!"

She agreed with Tristan, mentally reminding herself she was talking to Joey here. "Just answer the question, please."

Joey was about to start in again, but Yugi beat him. In a small, solemn voice, Yugi answered, "Kaiba tried to kill himself, Téa."

The girl sucked in a breath. Kaiba? Try to commit suicide? She could not imagine why. Such an easy life with money to buy one anything. No, she definitely did not think suicide would be the top thing on her mind if she had billions.

It was as if Yugi could follow her mind's track, for he continued softly, "Mokuba got put into a foster home, remember? It was about three weeks back."

"Well, now that you reminded me about it, I guess I recall that snippet of information. But I still don't think it is like Kaiba to do something so drastic."

The others all stared at her as if she were the Joey whose head was full of thoughts of food, his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and nothing else.

"Don't you remember when I dueled him on the wall? He didn't have Mokuba then, either."

Téa felt completely idiotic. "That's right…" she said, feeling herself reddening. After the entire spiel she had spewed forth on the wall, she had forgotten?

There was silence on the entire group. Then, slowly, they turned back towards their homes and began walking in complete silence, the memory of those penetrating eyes at the hospital no longer pasted to the backs of the gangs' eyelids. Now, a picture of Kaiba standing at the very edge of a sudden fall replaced the images that had been reflected in their dark depths.

-

Fuguta was extremely worried. He had heard the news from the other goons about Mr. Kaiba. Since then, however, he had gained no further information, and Kaiba could have died in the meantime. However, no papers or newscasts proclaimed Seto Kaiba's death, and it was foolish to think that Seto Kaiba would die without everyone knowing. Therefore, Fuguta was at least convinced that Kaiba could still pull through. But he did not know if he should tell Mokuba about any of it. The poor kid was already depressed and wouldn't speak to anyone. What if he added more misery to Mokuba and worsened his condition? Fuguta was left at a stalemate.

The Janukas had enrolled Mokuba in an orchestra class, but Mokuba did not play his violin anymore. They wondered which was worse: hearing only mournful tunes on it or not hearing it at all.

"Do you still think we should only wait to have him talk to the social worker that the judge ordered us to use?" Mrs. Januka peered intently at her husband. "You think he's still adjusting?"

"Of course he's adjusting, dear. But I think we should have him speak to a counselor, not a social worker yet. I think a counselor or psychiatrist would be more understanding than a social worker. Besides, most kids feel a sense of misplacement in a new home and Mokuba is no different. I know he misses his brother, but he'll get over it eventually when he sees how much better life is for him here. It might all amount to nothing in the end."

Both Janukas thought about what had been revealed at the trial and felt terribly for the boy who had been neglected and emotionally abused.

"You know, my dear, I think the social services pulled Mokuba out of there just in time. Who knows what he would be going through right now? Kaiba Corporation has taken a major fall. Some estimate it is only days away from declaring bankruptcy. Yet, there are still those who want it. Look at this." Mr. Januka handed his wife a piece of paper.

She read it over, shaking her head once. "According to this, the poor boy no longer can inherit the company that his brother has because of Mokuba being in a foster home. I don't think it is a major loss, though. Mokuba will get his shares in our company and be better off for it."

Mr. Januka did not seem to be paying attention; instead, he staring at the paper in his wife's hand with a calculating look. After awhile, he gave a little "hmm" sound as he stood from the table.

"I just realized. Mr. Seto Kaiba no longer has enough of the corporation himself. It is now a toss-up between him and the board of directors. From what I have been reading in the stock market news, they are eagerly buying all they can, and the only ones as well." He frowned. "It is odd. Kaiba has been doing nothing for awhile. I think we can expect to see the company get a new name soon."

Mrs. Januka was not sure if she were upset by this or not. She had no ties to Seto Kaiba and could care less what happened to him after what he had done to his little brother. However, something seemed strange to her.

"Who was the person who prosecuted Mr. Kaiba?"

"What?" Mr. Januka glanced up, and then thought a little. Finally, he responded, "Someone who wanted to remain anonymous, if I recall correctly. Why?"

Mrs. Januka shook her head. "No reason. I was just curious."

Then, the multi-millionaires went back to doing what multi-millionaires did—which was whatever they wanted.

-

Roland was always in charge when it came time for a goon mission. Now, because of his leadership, he was at YO's mansion, wondering why this man who had so much never seemed to help out his nephew. Perhaps his nephew never wanted any help.

The goon went up to the door and knocked. It should have been no surprise since he had an appointment with the lawyer. But it was still a few minutes before the door opened. In the meantime, Roland looked around at the area, seeing the carefully-tended flower beds and trimmed trees. No bees dared to buzz around his head in this place, and not a fly was in sight. It reminded the man of the Kaiba mansion. Mr. Kaiba took a sort of obsessive behavior when it came to waging war on the insects. Few mosquitoes lived long enough to sting anyone, and it was always a joke among the goon squad members when they heard a buzzing. They knew that soon a smack would follow.

Soon after his reminiscences, a servant opened the door and escorted Roland to the office where YO was on the phone. After a few seconds, the lawyer finished his conversation and gestured for the goon to sit down, which he did.

"I have come, sir, for a major reason. I know you expressed your interest in an appeal to Mr. Kaiba, but he never responded. I think we should go ahead without his consent."

YO leaned back in his chair, evaluating the man before him. With a hand rubbing his chin, YO replied, "You know, I dink your right. We don't need Kaiba's consent anyway. Because he is incapacitated, we can proceed widout it."

If Roland was shocked at YO's new way of speaking, he quickly got over it. He was a member of the goon squad, after all.

YO continued, "Kaiba had said someding about it at de trial, but after dat, he never mentioned it, for reasons best unsaid. But somehow, dose udder attorneys got a hold of someding dat's illegal: tapes of de Kaibas. If we press charges about dat, I dink we'll win. Den, de other verdict will have ta be thrown out on regards ta faulty evidence. Mokuba'll be back home, dough dere will be after-effects," he admitted.

Roland raised an eyebrow. "What would those be, sir?"

"Well, most likely, both of dem would have ta go through trainin' and counselin'. Plus, dey'd always be watched for abuse. But, bein' back togeda would cancel all dat out. Don't you dink?"

Roland was nodding, imagining the sounds of Mokuba's violin straining through the mansion once more and Kaiba's company back on its feet. Anything was worth seeing a smile on either of their faces, though for the latter, just a slight grin that was not creepy-looking would be the equivalent to the former's beaming face.

"Then it is a plan, sir. Can you begin work right away? Just tell me what you need someone to do, and the goon squad will try to do if they can."

The two shook hands, and Roland was feeling relief at the warmth in YO's. Thinking of Mr. Kaiba made him only feel the cold breath of the dead and the stillness of utter silence. He would take an angry, tense, and upset Kaiba with Mokuba around rather than have to deal with the lonely, depressed, and suicidal Kaiba who came because his brother was absent.

-

There was nothing more to it. The appropriate letters had been sent, not that Seto Kaiba was in any state to read his. But Kaiba Corporation was now… Actually, none of the board of directors could come up with a new name that they all agreed with. That was soon taken care of, however.

"You'll name it after me, of course," their leader, who was not even on the board of directors, said with a cackle and a jiggling of his three chins. He looked over the rim of his glasses at any of the five who would dare disagree. None of them did. The thought made the pudgy man oozing fat cackle again.

Looking in a mirror, he tried to straighten his suit, but it always rolled with his excess flesh. Still, he leered at himself and thought of what a fine president he would make.

After all the years he had slaved for Gozaburo and had to watch the brat Seto, Hobson knew he deserved the company. The board of directors he used only because they already owned so much of the company. Now, they could be disposed of. What did it matter if he had promised them safety for complying? The smiling face in the mirror chuckled lowly. He knew the best ways to torture people, so he knew what he was doing. Perhaps, because the board had never made a protest, Hobson would cut short their pain. There was plenty of time to figure that out. Right now, he had to go to the ceremony that marked the changing of owners. Hobson Corporation would do nicely. All his workers would be even more frightened of him than of the former president, ensuring expert work would be done. Before long, the company would be back up where it belonged with sales and surpassing what Kaiba had done. Going back to the original products of Kaiba Corporation was enough to guarantee big profits.

The other five men looked nervously at each other, wishing they knew what was behind Hobson's beady black eyes and beefy grin.

When all was prepared, they went over to the old Kaiba Corporation building, grinning in glee when they were greeted as the owners. All of the five men on the board of directors knew they were only a façade—the true owner was the shorter, rounder man behind them, but for tonight, they played it well.

Hobson cackled when he saw how few people were there. Only the most loyal remained after such a tragic downfall, and Hobson could hardly wait to begin torturing them for their loyalties. Hobson was wishing every night that Kaiba would die, but then, he would change his mind, wanting the young man to know he had failed and lost his company. Now, all his old employees would be harassed merely because they had been loyal to him.

As to what to do with Mokuba, Hobson was not yet certain. The boy was obviously no threat, but Hobson of course wanted to take him down permanently. Maybe he could still use one of the brothers to hurt the other more. Torture was such a delicious game, one he enjoyed partaking in as much as eating.


	7. Far Away, Alone

Chapter 7 Far Away, Alone

The endless days held no light of hope for Mokuba. Every night, he went to bed wishing he were someone else or even that he no longer lived. All he had lived for before was seeing a piece of mail with his name on it. Now, all the letters he had reread so many times were gone. Destroyed.

School was a bother. The homework was worthless, and he stopped trying. Though the Janukas wanted him to see a counselor, the arguing against it was the only thing that made Mokuba animated. So far, he had not had to go, but the boy could sense his foster parents were going to force him soon.

Eating held no anticipation. His taste buds had turned into tiny stones that could not distinguish between bitter poison and sweet nectar. He ate when his foster parents made him and only then. Fuguta could not even make him do anything anymore.

The goon feared Mokuba would try the same thing his brother had. So he kept a closer eye on him than ever before. What Roland had called and told him—that YO was preparing for an appeal—gave him the only brightness in his otherwise gloomy world.

On the phone that night with Roland, Fuguta asked what happened to all the other goons. He had read about the change in owners in the front page of the paper, and the welfare of the others concerned him, mostly because of the new owner's name: Hobson.

"We are all still together, sir," Roland answered. "Jaques is trying to make a career as a chef to support us, but the people making the most money, somehow, are the O'Riley brothers. They joined Riverdance."

Fuguta's mind was instantly filled with the fragrance of warm food cooking and then the sight of the brothers leaping about as they danced to Mokuba's music.

"Should I tell Mokuba what happened?"

Roland took awhile to answer, and then Sung's voice came over the phone, his Chinese accent what gave him away.

"Describe how Master Mokuba is acting." As Sung was the psychiatrist, Fuguta was only too happy to oblige.

It did not take long for the experienced psychiatrist to come up with a conclusion, which was the one Fuguta guessed and feared.

"He is depressed. I think he should talk to someone about what is bothering him."

Not even Fuguta could guess the deeper meaning of Mokuba's dejection. He guessed it was simply because they had lost the trial, but as to the letter, Mokuba had never let him see it before it was gone.

"He doesn't want to talk to anyone, Sung. What should I do?" he replied helplessly. "It'd be better if Roland were here; everyone knows we call him Mom for a reason."

"But he is not allowed there. You are the only one they accepted. So you must talk to the Janukas or Mokuba and try to do what is best. It is not good for such a little body to be holding in such a large problem. He must release it to be even close to finding inner peace and balance."

"I'll do my best." It was just Fuguta did not know if his best would even help Mokuba.

-

In a dark corner where no one ever walked, he hid. There was no light anywhere. Just utter pitch tar encompassing the mind. A cold wind blew occasionally, raising goose bumps on his arms. A small piece of his mind was frantically searching for something, for someone, but he was alone. Everything he had lived for was gone. He had failed. Mokuba would never return. A promise had been broken.

I deserve to be dead. Why did they fight to keep me here? It would be best if I were gone; that way, Mokuba would truly move on in his life and find someone else to cling to who wouldn't lie. Big brothers aren't suppose to fail. And Gozaburo taught me the penalty for failing…

The sight of his step-father's enraged face, practically insane, plunged into his mind. Gozaburo had just lost Kaiba Corporation to Seto and Mokuba and the rest of the board of directors. In just a few moments after the realization, he was doing something unbelievable. Still in his fey mood, Gozaburo took a running leap at the top window of Kaiba Corporation.

A shattering of glass filled the air as the pieces sparkled and glistened, making them look like crystals or drops of dew. But they did not just moisten Gozaburo's skin. The bits were sharp and plunged deep, though there seemed to be some kind of joy expressed on the mad man's face for how theydug into his skin.

All of this happened in mere split-seconds. Then, the heavy form toppled from the frame and vanished into the air. Kaiba had not moved. He had done nothing. But now he knew what it felt like to be the one falling.

A glimmer of light was before him, but he shoved it away. There was no light for a failure. He remained hiding where he was, wishing for the blackness to take all, especially his memories. Mokuba's concerned face constantly plagued him like a pop-up on the internet. His little brother surely was not concerned now. Kaiba had done his best to make Mokuba angry at him, and it was all so his younger brother could move on.

If Kaiba were still corresponding with him, his little brother would have grown more depressed, anxious for every bit of sentence he wrote the boy. Taking that path would force his brother never to grow on. Mokuba would only be trapped where he was.

Kaiba knew about that as well, but now he blocked his mind from everything, spiraling farther away from any voices and sounds, staying in the darkness, which hid everything he was ashamed of.

-

At school on Monday, everyone got together to come clean about everything. Duke and Bakura, who had heard of nothing about Kaiba being in the hospital, were completely shocked. But they also agreed that something needed to be done. In fact, the only one keeping his opinion to himself was Yami. Yugi did not notice.

"All right. I talked ta my uncle. He wasn't happy wid what I told him—how I hadn't kept it a secret, but he agreed dat someding needed ta be done. He doesn't agree wid de way dat I do dings, but he didn't say I couldn't."

Bakura turned even whiter. "Oh, dear. What are you implying?"

Tristan grabbed Joey's head and rubbed his hand on his hair. "What Joey-man's trying to say is that he does _illegal_ things. So don't feel inclined to help if you don't want to. There's no need to sully another person's record."

"Tristan!" Joey freed himself and protested, "I'm not plannin' anyding illegal! No one said it's a crime to take Mokuba from the Janukas and bring him back home!"

Téa, Tristan, and Bakura shook their heads, while Yugi looked like he was debating whether to laugh or to be embarrassed. Duke, however, scoffed. "Then what did you _think_ it was? A babysitter's regular duty? Take the kid home with you?"

Joey groaned, holding his head in his hands, moaning that no one ever understood him.

"We understand you, Joey," Téa said sweetly, "we just enjoy giving you a hard time."

"Dat's what siblings are for, and I have one of dose already!"

Both Tristan and Duke sat up a little straighter. "Serenity coming over anytime soon?" Tristan asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

At the same time, Duke said, "Your sister's too sweet to do that to you!"

Joey gave them the evil eye. "Stay away from my sista in all dings: physically, mentally, and in conversations!" He looked prepared to teach this to them with his fists, as they never seemed to get his rules through their thick skulls.

"Joey, calm down! We don't need any reason to get yelled at, and a certain teacher is looking this way!" Yugi ducked his head down to take a bite of his turkey sandwich, trying not to cause any added attention. That teacher was one of the worst ones, not that any were really _good_, but this one looked for any excuse to give out detentions.

The gang lowered their voices and leaned in as well, their trying-not-to-look-conspicuous doing the opposite. Across the room, the teacher narrowed his eyes, meandering through the tables to come closer to hear what was so secretive.

Joey explained his plan, which was simply to steal Mokuba and bring him to the hospital. "The kid oughtta know how his brodda is doin', don't you dink? And he prob'ly wants ta see him! We can hide him away until de end of de appeal, because I know my uncle's gonna win dis one! Dose guys used illegal evidence!"

"Wow. I never thought you'd be on the side of Kaiba," Téa commented dryly.

Joey tried to make it look like nothing special. "I'm doin' it for Mokuba, you know." He inhaled and tried to look tough.

Tristan and Duke laughed, each slapping Joey. "You couldn't ever be a lawyer yourself, Joey! You can't lie very well!" Duke said, laughing.

Even Bakura cracked a grin at this, though he added more somberly, "What would we do if the bobbies tried to find him? We could get into a lot of trouble!" He looked around the table; everyone was giving him a funny look. "What?"

"Do you know someone named Bobby? Is that Mr. Januka's name?" Duke wrinkled his nose in disgust at such a peculiar name.

Flushing very faintly, Bakura answered, "That's what I call the police…" (I am going by the American dubbed version, in which Bakura has an English accent.)

The others started laughing again, though a sinister voice quickly brought them out of their fits of giggles.

"Oh? What's so funny about trying to do something illegal?" The cold voice of Mr. Hanakori instantly chilled the insides and made those eating have indigestion or choke.

"Eh, what?" Joey's face, simply read, was panicked.

The teacher's mouth twisted into what he believed was a smile. "I said, I heard your plans for doing something illegal, Mr. Wheeler, and I won't let you get away with it. How about so many and so long detentions for all of you that you don't have time to be going somewhere that is more than two hours away to steal a kid who is finally in a good environment?" He openly turned his twisted mouth into a smirk. "No, I think I'll just have the police watch you since I heard you threatening another student. Your record's long enough for them to take it seriously, Mr. Wheeler. And yours as well, Mr. Taylor," he continued, turning his sharp eyes to Tristan.

Tristan gulped, shrinking back from the vindictive teacher. The others were too shocked or frightened to say anything, except, of course, Téa.

She stood up to better glare at him. "What do you think you're doing, Mr. Hanakori? Can't students have a little friendly conversation at lunch without someone interpreting it incorrectly? We were only discussing going to visit our friend Mokuba, and you seemed to think we have something illegal planned! Honestly, someone should report _you_ to the principal!"

The last line was too far for Mr. Hanakori. He grabbed Téa's wrist and dragged her away from the table and out into the hall.

Yugi gasped, and inside his mind from the puzzle, Yami's voice was calling out to Yugi to switch. There was a small flash from the puzzle, then, with a glare, Yami dashed after the teacher.

The others stared after him, wondering if they should try to help or if they'd only get in the way. Joey was all for dashing after his best bud, or, rather, the one who used to be his best bud, but the others held him back.

"If you go, Hanakori will just find some reason to expel you or even do as he threatened. You don't want the police to be watching you, do you?" Tristan, still holding his friend's arm, released it when Joey sagged down in defeat.

"I can't believe I gotta let him go out dere on his own. I really want ta pound Hanakori…"

-

Yami easily kept the loathsome teacher in sight, especially since Téa was making as much trouble for him as she could. Periodically pounding his hand and digging in her clonking shoes, she managed to slow the teacher enough that she glanced back and saw Yami.

"Let…me…go!" she said with each pound of her fist. "You're going to be in such major trouble!"

The teacher laughed lowly. "Who's going to stop me? Your parents? I have all the authority here. Teachers are highly respected in this country!" (technically, Japan, but because I know very little about their law and other systems, it is very American. One thing I do know is how seriously Japan takes education, though.)

She glared at him, refusing to reply, though her ears were tuned to listen to the footfalls of her hero, the other Yugi. At least he had come to save her.

The teacher glanced over her shoulder, corners of his mouth twitching. "Is that your boyfriend? Then I have even more reason to write you up. Underage dating is against the rules."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Téa cried, though she wished there had been a little more hesitation between her phrase and Mr. Hanakori's. Now, however, was not the time to contemplate her feelings for the other Yugi. It was best that he was here to save her and nothing more.

"I'm just coming to get back my friend from your clutches," Yami said, glaring. "You can't simply take her away and do whatever you want. Even teachers, though you like to believe you _are_ gods and not like them, have to follow rules. I'll report your own illegal actions to the superintendent."

Yugi looked curiously at his counterpart. "What are you talking about, Yami? Mr. Hanakori has done illegal things?"

The Pharaoh gave a sideways grin. "There are many things you shouldn't dirty your mind with, Yugi, and what I observe and find useful are some of those things. If you really want to know about what I learned about so many of those you know…I could ruin your innocent mind forever."

Yugi was still staring at him, not certain what he wanted. He couldn't even begin to guess all of what Yami was talking about, so he wasn't certain he wanted to hear it. But if Yugi did not learn it, he would forever be curious.

Mr. Hanakori's face darkened and he sneered. "What could you possibly know about me?"

Yami still had that sideways leer on his own face, and he whispered something to the teacher, who instantly stiffened, whitened, and released Téa. Then, he calmed down, face turning back to its usual shade.

"You have no proof."

"Don't I?" The other Yugi still was smirking. "I know exactly where you put the chloroform, so when I send the police to your desk, they will have to believe me."

Bitterly, the teacher shoved the girl at the Pharaoh, muttering, "If you ever tell anyone about that, I'll murder you personally!" Then he swirled around and marched off in a huff, shoulders rising and falling with his heavy breathing. Most likely, the drug was about to be moved.

Yugi blinked. "Yami, I can't believe you saw that! I can't believe _I_ saw it, then!" Moaning, the spirit form of Yugi hid his face in his hands. "Stealing from the school nurse's drugs?"

"I told you that you didn't want to know. And just because I saw it does not mean that you saw it. Technically, it was still just me, even if I use your body."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" he wailed. "I can't look at any teacher the same after that. I don't think I will be able to do anything more the rest of the day because of this!"

"Then I will escort Téa back to the others," Yami replied.

Instantly, Yugi blushed and pulled his head free of his hands. "No, I'll do it."

Yami grinned once more, a light flashed, and the small Yugi was back in his place. Still slightly red, Yugi accepted Téa's thanks, saying that Yami really had done any rescuing. Then they went back to the others to resume their plot to bring Mokuba back to Domino.

-

Mokuba stared at the wall. There was clearly nothing interesting with it. The Janukas had made sure everything in his room was perfect, and the wall was no exception. Beige, simply pure beige. The strokes of the paintbrush were lost. Instead, just one flawless wall of one color took over all his sight.

That's not like real life, he thought. Nothing is perfect. I wish this wall were stained or ugly. Then, it might be closer to the truth.

He turned on his bed and closed his eyes, pulling the blankets over his head. His new "parents" were going to come for him soon. Ever since he had refused to leave his room, they had told Mokuba he was going to see a counselor. He was doing the best he could to ignore them all, but they had keys to all the rooms, and his was no exception. Once they decided who to see, they were going to drag him out however they could to do "what was best." As if they cared what was best. If they had, they would have brought him back to his brother long ago. Now, it would be best if they just left him to wither away in his room alone.

Fuguta had also tried to talk with him, but Mokuba never let in his former friend. Fuguta was a reminder of his old life, which was something he did not want to recall at all. He wished he could just live in his dream world. There, his parents were sometimes living, or else his brother had never won the chess game. In that world, the brothers were much closer, with fewer materials, but more happiness. Now, Mokuba tried to sleep to bring back the fair visions he saw. That was all he ever did these days: sleep.

School was no longer forced on him, since he was failing every subject. The teachers could not make him respond, and very often, Mokuba slept through the classes. Bullies picked on him, not that they dared to beat him up, but they just dragged his flagging spirits even further into the pit they were in.

No one had befriended him, and Mokuba never tried to make friends with anyone else. It was better to be alone. That way, no one could hurt. No one could be like his brother.

Once, when the soft knock landed on his door, Mokuba burrowed in deeper, crying softly to himself. Why, oh why, Seto, did you leave me here? Why didn't you do like you promised?

Then, his cold self took back over, for if his brother had one, so did the younger Kaiba. The exception was Mokuba's only came out rarely. Now, he told himself not to be crazy. He was away from his brother and that was best. Seto didn't want him anymore.

By that time, the knocking had ceased, though there was a grating as a key turned in the lock. Then, both Janukas looked in worriedly. They saw his huddled mass on the bed, and Mrs. Januka gasped. Surely he wasn't…

Mr. Januka reached the bed and pulled back the covers, his sigh of relief covered by his irritated movements to pry Mokuba from the bed. Then, all three went out the door, Mokuba dragging his feet the entire way.

The limo driver never asked questions. He opened the doors for the "family" and closed them again before beginning the drive to town. Silent, he ignored what was going on in the back of the limousine.

Lips pursed, face drawn, Mrs. Januka was extremely worried. But she said nothing.

"We're bringing you to a counselor for a good reason, Mokuba. Now, I want you to try your best to let the counselor help you. No child should have to be depressed, and no one wants to be around a depressed child."

"Then why don't you get rid of me?" Mokuba asked, turning to gaze out the window.

Mr. Januka's face went hard and he said nothing more. The rest of the ride was full of tension thick enough to bat away with a hand. But no one tried to make it move aside.

Tall, sturdy, and white, the building stood out from the sky. It also caused a slight tremor in Mokuba's chest as they stepped free of the vehicle and went up the stairs. It seemed more like a hospital than a counselor's office, and Mokuba wondered if that would be where he went next: a hospital.

Then I'd be out of everyone's way at least, he thought, trudging up, hating the feel of Mr. Januka's tight grip on his elbow. Nii-sama never would yank me like that! Then his mind went dull again as a little voice whispered to him from his memory. Actually, yes he would; whenever he was worried about me he would grab onto me tightly and pull me along. But those days are over. I am a Januka now—he said so. With that final thought, Mokuba went inside.

The hallways were brightly lit, highlighting the white walls. These, too, were perfectly clean and without blemish. Mokuba hated them.

There was a doorway on the right, outlined in wood. Within was a man in a white coat, writing something that he put down instantly upon seeing them. A smile adorning his face, the man stood to shake hands with the Janukas.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Januka. And hello, Mokuba." The man smiled specifically at Mokuba, illustrating more of the color white with his pearly, straight teeth. Mokuba felt like punching them to make big gaps.

When Mokuba did not answer, the doctor straightened from the boy's height and turned again to the Janukas.

"I believed you explained the situation well enough to me, so if you will, give me some time alone with the boy. Then, I expect him back every day, you know. Depression can be a long trial, but it is nothing undefeatable."

The Janukas left, the missus casting back one lingering, sad look. Then the door was closed.

"Well, Mokuba. That's exactly my first lesson. Depression and your loneliness can seem bad, but it won't last forever. Why don't you tell me what kind of things you used to like to do?"

Mokuba didn't raise his head. He liked staring at the floor. It was not white, for one thing, and several cracks between tiles had dirt caked into them. They looked like little veins, keeping the place alive.

The counselor jotted some notes, and then gently prodded, "Mokuba? I want you to look at me." This time, the boy turned up his head to look at the counselor. "That's better," the man continued with a small smile. "Now, why don't you tell me about yourself? You can say anything you want."

That took a moment of contemplation. What did he want to say? Mokuba had wanted to shout and cry a variety of things before, but that had all passed now. In fact, the boy didn't think he wanted to say anything at all.

"Hmmm…" the counselor said as he wrote something more. The sound reminded Mokuba of his brother, as much as he didn't want to think of it. Shutting his eyes tightly, Mokuba buried his head into the crook of his arm after bringing his knees up before his face.

"Mokuba? What's the matter? Did I say something that upset you?" The counselor did not try to touch him or pry too deeply, but as they were getting no where, even his patience was being tried. Mentally counting in his head, the counselor was rewarded for his tactic by the small voice of Mokuba piping from under his arm.

"Maybe my name isn't Mokuba anymore. My other name has changed multiple times. Maybe I don't want to be called Mokuba anymore. He's gone." He left when my brother disowned me, the nameless boy thought mournfully.

The counselor again made some scratching noise with a pen. "I see. Then what do you want to be called?"

He shrugged in response, still not unburying his head.

"I have to call you something, young man. Now's your chance to choose for yourself. What do you want to be named?"

The small ticking of a clock was the only sound. Everything was still as Mokuba's mind reeled. Gradually, the working of his mind cleared, granting him clear sight at last. With a new name came a new person with a new life. He wouldn't be a Kaiba anymore, or even Seto's brother. Not a Januka either. Just a free boy to choose for himself what he wanted.

"I-I want to be called…" the boy began, raising his head slightly to peer at the doctor. "My name is Bewd. That's what you can call me."

The counselor did not react, but he was scanning his mind for any possible meanings for the name. Nothing came to explain the four-lettered word. Still keeping his face peaceful and without surprise, he asked, "And why did you choose Bewd?"

No longer appearing like a turtle poking its head out of its shell, Mokuba stared defiantly at the counselor with his knees away from his face. No one could take away his name. Now he was free and powerful, full of glory. He was something anyone would want, for who didn't like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?

"My name is Bewd" was all Mokuba replied with. Then he looked around the room some more, seeing what the time was. He wished this were over already. But now that he had cooperated a little, maybe the counselor would leave him alone.

It seemed the counselor could read his mind, or at least, he followed Mokuba's eyes. He gave another small smile, wrote a final note, then stood and walked Mokuba to the door.

"I hope to see you again, Bewd. Now, do you mind if I speak to the Janukas before you go?"

Mokuba shrugged, so after opening the door, the counselor called on the two millionaires. As the boy took a seat outside, smiling at the thought of his new name, his foster parents inside were learning just what his new name was.

-

Around five o'clock, Roland asked Fintan how Mr. Kaiba was.

Fintan firmly shut the door to the CEO's room, closing his eyes to move away the painful memory of Kaiba's ashen features and stiff body. One hand had clenched his duel monsters cardnecklace while his lips mouthed a word that seemed like "Mokuba," and Fintan had thought he was coming around. Now, a half-hour later, he wasn't sure anymore.

"Well, he's fine from what he attempted. But now, he is lost inside himself, seein' what, I don't know." The goon doctor shook his head at the memories. "But how's the appeal comin' along?"

Roland managed to grow a little cheerier at the thought of the upcoming appeal. "It's in two days. I think we're going to win. There's no way the other side can defend itself from what proof we have." He shook his head. "I just wish Mr. Kaiba were up to help us and see how good our chances are. After all, he was the first to notice that the tapes they had were exactly the same as what we film every day in the Kaiba mansion. He just never seemed motivated enough to do something about it," he finished sadly.

Fintan patted the other goon's shoulder. "I'm sure Mr. Kaiba will wake up soon. If not before, then after his brother comes t' see him. Mokuba could break through any shield Kaiba puts around himself."

Nodding, Roland moved down the hall and into the room to take his watch, hoping Fintan was right.

From just a few feet away, a shorter person walked down the hall, eyes wide from what she had heard hiding behind the pillar outside Kaiba's room. Hurrying outside the hospital, Téa reported to the others everything she knew.

"I overheard a couple conversations. From what it sounded like, Kaiba's in the hospital because he is still unconscious from when he tried to commit suicide!" The rest of the gang looked as shocked as she did, but Téa hurriedly continued, "There's an appeal for the trial in two days, and Roland seemed sure they would win. So maybe there's no need for us to go get Mokuba."

Joey had a stubborn look on his face. "No. Dere's still a need. We're goin' tonight. I never dought I'd say dis, but Kaiba might not last long. He needs his brodda now."

Somewhat hesitantly, Yugi added, "I agree. We can't risk Kaiba's health!" Yami's image near him looked gravely at the boy, but said nothing.

The others gradually gave in, especially since not all of them had to go after the boy themselves. The only ones traveling the three-hour trip were Joey, Yugi, Tristan, and Téa. Duke had work to do in his store, Bakura wasn't close enough to Mokuba or Kaiba to care so much as well as being too nervous. The guys tried to talk Téa out of it, but she wouldn't hear of it. Neither would Yugi when Joey and Tristan warned him they were probably going to have to fight.

"They're my friends! I'm going to help!" Yugi's stubborn look convinced them, since he looked even surer than Joey did.

Joey was going to drive, but he hadhad to sneak away his dad's beat-up truck.

"Not too hard. He's passed out," Joey commented as they climbed in.

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea…"

Joey snorted. "You wanted to come, Yuge."

The smaller boy sighed. "I know. But we shouldn't steal your dad's truck!"

Tristan shook his head and Téa gave a small smile as Joey responded with a grunt, "He won't even notice it's gone. He'll still be in the same position that I left him in two days from now."

Yugi decided not to answer.

At 5:45, they were cruising down the road on a school night, trying to help out a friend by any means possible.

-

Mokuba went straight back to his room after the meeting, flopping onto his bed and easily forgetting the worried look his foster parent's exchanged at his door when he closed it on them. They hadn't said a single thing about his new name, and he was glad. They wouldn't understand.

The only one who would understand is you, nii-sama, Mokuba thought, but you don't care anymore. You probably didn't even try to win me back at the trial, only made it seem that way. Maybe you even set the entire thing up just to get rid of me. Your company was all you really loved anyway. Now you don't have to worry about me inheriting any of it.

Mokuba curled up on his bed, not crying, but trying to picture anything other than what was on his mind. The thought of his new name gave him new images, ones of a beautiful dragon. It had helped comfort him before, and even if it had some memories of his big brother, it still helped ease his pain again tonight, its light holding back the shadows a little.


	8. In the Dark of Night

To all of my reviewers, heartfelt thanks go out to you. You make me care enough to keep writing. Just think if I never knew anyone bothered to read this. But, since you do, I always like to post as soon as I am able!

Chapter 8 In the Dark of Night…

As anyone could have guessed, the gang was having problems. One, they were lost. Two, Joey refused to admit that he knew this, and three, the others did not yet know they were lost, but when they learned, they would be upset.

He was still cruising along, pretending that he had not missed the exit to go to the city where the Janukas resided twenty minutes ago. He thought he would easily be able to take the next exit. The problem was there had been no new exits since then.

"Ah, screw it." Joey stepped on the breaks, went into the median, and did a U-turn, making cars honk all the way down the highway. "Leave me alone," he muttered.

The others all were looking out their windows, trying to determine just what had happened.

"Hey, man, what are you doing?" Tristan tried to see the map that Joey was going by, but it was too dark to read it accurately.

"Just fixin' dings. Don't ask."

The turning and honking awakened Yugi, who had fallen into a stupor and then a doze ten minutes ago. When he realized his head had been lying on Téa's arm, he blushed deeply and tried to scoot over. But they were all packed into the truck with no room until they fell out the doors. Téa was by one door, with Yugi squished next to her and Tristan. While it wasn't a good idea, Joey was right next to Tristan, who was now asking him a bunch of questions. Joey ignored him.

When he got off on an exit, Tristan triumphantly exclaimed that he understood. He promptly began giving Joey a hard time.

Gradually, everyone went quiet and calm the farther they went. The Januka household was only a few more miles down the road. Then, the plan would be in action.

"Uh, guys? What was our plan?"

Everyone was silent, oddly having no comeback for Joey. Téa groaned, putting a hand to her forehead.

"We don't have a plan? What are we going to do, knock on the door and ask if Mokuba can come out and then grab him?" Téa could sense the acceptance of her plan from Tristan and Joey, so she added, "That wouldn't work! We don't even know what kind of security these Janukas have! I knew there was something missing from our meeting earlier today." She sagged back against the seat as much as she could.

"Well, we could always try a window. Or, we could dress up like guards. Hmm…Maybe we should be food delivery service! People always like food!"

"Man, just watch the road," Tristan warned as Joey swerved.

Yugi had been waiting for silence, and now that it came he said, "Well, I think two of us should go to the door and see if we can go in at all. Maybe the Janukas will have no problem letting Mokuba go visit his brother, especially since I know how much Mokuba will want to go."

"Too innocent," the other three chimed together, causing Yugi utter confusion.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

There was a tall house in the foreground, and Joey slowly stopped still a distance away. "I'm sure dat's it." He turned to face the others. "All right, guys. Yuge's got a point. We _should_ split up and see if we can be let in. But we shouldn't tell the Janukas our plan. I don't dink dey'd like Mokuba to see his brodda. But, if dat doesn't work, we'll have ta try goin' in dere in secret and bustin' out de kid. Deal?"

The others agreed quickly, except Yugi, but he was left in the truck without getting to argue. So, hurrying out, he ran after the others, whispering for them to wait.

Before his eyes sat another large house, its black silhouette solid against the sky lit with tiny stars. Plenty of lights blazed in the mansion, but they did not seem enough to make the building appear any less inky. A fence of rickety bars surrounded the estate, and because that seemed hardly sufficient to keep out thieves, the gang was even further astounded by the lack of any bodyguards.

"No one's here," Tristan whispered.

"There could be a camera, so be quiet!" Téa hissed back.

Joey elbowed her and Tristan. "Don't act like you want ta be secret by sneakin' around. Be casual and cool-like." Joey did not crouch into the bushes but swaggered before the fence as if he were a nightly stroll.

"Yeah, listen to him. He has experience."

Yugi was about to ask Tristan what that meant when Yami began advising Yugi that they should switch places. With a sigh, the smaller boy agreed, and soon, the pharaoh was free.

"Let's go," he said in his deeper voice.

Joey and Tristan continued on their walk, Tristan looking more like he was getting chased by little dogs than going on a casual promenade, but they should not have attracted much attention anyway.

Téa and Yami headed to the front gate, both a little startled that is easily opened. Shrugging, they continued to the front door of the mansion. Pausing only a second, the other Yugi rapped smartly on the door and stood back, waiting.

The heavy wooden door swung silently open, and before them was a butler in the traditional black jacket.

"May I help you?" The man's voice was slightly croaky, as if he had not had to use it in ages. Probably, no one had knocked on the door in a long time.

Yami took a small step forward. "Yes. We would like to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Januka regarding Mokuba."

The butler almost winced at hearing the final name, but he nodded gravely and ushered them in. He led them to a parlor that was immediately on their left. Explaining he would return soon, the elderly man continued out another door on the left side.

Téa ran her fingers along an ornate shelf above a fireplace that washolding little figurines made of porcelain. Everything in the room was tidy and clean, so even if they didn't have many visitors to put in this room, the Janukas were always prepared. The bookshelves had little dust and the chairs did not squeak from old age when Yami sat down.

Before long, from the right door, where they had entered, a man in another black suit entered, hastily wiping his brow. Startled, Yami jumped to his feet and Téa stepped back from the mantel.

"I only just heard you were here. May I ask why?" The man glanced around quickly, satisfied that no one was watching them, and came closer to the two teens.

"Aren't you…I mean, you just look like one of…well, Kaiba's goons."

"You're right. I'm Fuguta," the man answered. "And I want to know why you are here. I overheard something about Mokuba? Did Mr. Kaiba send you? Don't worry; you can tell me."

Yami and Téa exchanged glances.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Téa's puzzled face seemed to be even more expressive from the lack of emotion on her companion's visage. "Kaiba would never send us anywhere. We just came to see if the Janukas would let Mokuba go visit his brother. You heard what happened, didn't you?"

Fuguta sighed. "I had hoped you had good news concerning Mr. Kaiba. I see, now, that you came of your own ideas. I agree that Mokuba should not be here, but I cannot fight the law alone. How much would you like to unite the two?"

"We'll do whatever's needed," Yami said, causing to Téa to shudder slightly. As much as she admired the other Yugi, he sometimes frightened her. Yami continued, "We came here to get Mokuba and we're not leaving without him." From his lack of a quiet tone, it was obvious Yami did not care if they were on cameras or overheard.

Fuguta again cast a look around. "I was hoping you'd say that. Come around back when you're finished here." With that, the goon disappeared out the right door again.

The two friends did not have much time to even share a glance before the ancient butler led in Mr. Januka.

Quickly, both Téa and Yami paid the man his respects, and they then introduced themselves as friends of Mokuba.

"Friends from Domino, I presume." The man had a funny, little smile on his face, as if something was inexplicitly amusing.

"Well, yes. We were just wondering if we could see Mokuba." Téa thought it best to start with a small request.

The gentleman shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that is impossible. In fact, I think it would be best if you would just leave before you cause any harm." Instantly, Mr. Januka turned to go.

"Cause harm? What are you talking about?" Téa was already taking the same stance she did when she wanted to teach Kaiba a lesson…Yami was worried that the girl did not understand how different the two were.

"I mean, goodbye. Have a nice drive back." Mr. Januka was gone, the butler herding the two to the door.

Once the main door had been shut right behind them, Téa burst out, "How rude! I can't believe they just kicked us out without explaining anything or letting us explain ourselves!"

Yami was in deep thought as he went around the large block in the opposite direction Joey and Tristan had gone. It took him awhile to vocalize his thoughts, but when he did, he had nothing constructive to say. "Hmm. That was indeed peculiar. I'm just glad Fuguta was there to help us out. Otherwise, we would be having a much harder task." Yami finally listened to the little voice of his aibou, agreeing with Yugi that they might get in major trouble for this.

"That's why we switched, Yugi."

"I had wondered. After all, I know you don't like Kaiba."

"But I don't mind his brother."

Yugi sighed but said nothing more.

After going halfway around the block, they encountered Joey and Tristan, both of them rushing toward them. For a moment, neither of them said anything, though both of them looked crestfallen and then determined as they listened to the news.

"So we gotta go in afta de little guy, huh?" Joey glanced where the mansion stuck above the roofs of other houses.

"Actually, we found something else out that is very interesting." Téa proceeded to inform them of their conversation with Kaiba's old goon, Fuguta. "Maybe we don't have to break the law—he'll do it instead!"

The others were all ready to go back to the house, though no one lied to say they were not nervous. Joey and Tristan may have gotten into trouble before, but it was never anything against important people. Mostly, it was gang people or bullies. So, it was natural that they were not completely confident. And while Yami had no real qualms, he was sharing the body of Yugi, and Yugi was terrified, so Yami was a little nervous.

Traveling back around the block, they lined up near the fence where they could see into the backyard. Thus far, no one was visible in the lights beaconing forth from the back of the house.

They waited there in silence, hoping no one within the mansion was taking exception to them outside the fence. If Mr. Januka knew they were here…well, they hoped Mr. Januka was unaware of them. From what they had experienced so far, it did not seem like the security system was one to completely fear. After all, Fuguta had not worried about cameras when he sketched out the plan.

So, waiting outside, they were growing restless, more nervous, and agitated. But they had no idea of what was happening within the mansion.

-

"Mokuba, don't make me get the key," Fuguta pleaded outside the door. While the counselor had spoken with the Janukas about what had occurred with the boy, the couple had not thought to pass on the news to anyone else. In response to Fuguta's entreaties, only silence lingered down the corridors and rooms.

The goon sighed and pulled the key out of his pocket. He had never used it yet, since Mokuba was still a Kaiba to him who deserved all respect. But now, for the boy's own good, he had to come out of the room and go back to Domino.

The interior of the living quarters were dark and still; only a lump on the bed was any proof that someone was within. Fortunately, the huddled mass under the covers was going up and down slightly. After what Mr. Kaiba had attempted, Fuguta could never let the fear completely leave him that Mokuba would do the same thing.

Quietly, he entered. Mokuba was sleeping again. He must be really exhausted, Fuguta thought. Poor kid. I hate to wake him, but we have to leave.

"Mokuba," he whispered, hardly daring to touch the covers. "Wake up."

The boy was sluggish in leaving his sleep. When he saw someone was trying to awaken him, he turned and pulled the covers over himself again. Fuguta sighed, going to the other side of the bed and trying again.

"We're leaving, so get up. We'll leave everything where it is; we can get it back at our leisure. Mokuba, wake up!" he finished, accenting the last word with a sharp whisper. Then, the covers were yanked completely off Mokuba.

"Leave me alone," he muttered.

Frustrated, Fuguta stared at the boy for a second. Then he said, "Mokuba, I should have told you this sooner." He took a moment to gain courage with a breath. Yet, when Mokuba spoke next, he exhaled suddenly.

"I'm not Mokuba anymore. Now leave me alone."

He scooted to the end of the bed to grab the covers, hauling them off the floor. Before he could pull them all the way back up, Fuguta had grabbed his wrist, not releasing it even when Mokuba strained.

"What did you say, sir?"

Mokuba glared at him. "You heard me. Let go."

Fuguta did not. Instead, he muttered under his breath and glanced away. Then, with renewed determination, he pried Mokuba out of bed.

"We're leaving, you and I. We shouldn't have ever been here. And you're not going to put up a fuss."

Mokuba blinked. His new name was working already! Fuguta was wanting him to go somewhere. And the Janukas for sure wanted him to stay. People wanted him!

His shock allowed him to be dragged out of the room, then pulled across the hallways, avoiding each hall that had heavy traffic from maids and servants. Soon, they went down a flight of stairs, arriving at last before a large patio door to the backyard. Fuguta cast one look around again, then plunged into the cool night air and caressing darkness.

Mokuba did not want to talk to Fuguta. He did not want to seem at all interested in what they were doing. But the boy was a little frightened. Maybe where they were going was worse than the Janukas. Maybe it was worse than when he had lived with his brother.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked in a small voice, trying to be strong like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon would be, but the fear still leaked into his tone.

"You'll see," was all Fuguta said in response, grimly toting Mokuba onward.

At one side of the fence, the sketchy outlines of people resided, standing as still as trees sprouting roots. Fuguta headed that way, hoping no one in the household had yet noticed their absence. He doubted it; the Janukas usually left Mokuba to himself and rarely had Fuguta do anything.

"Mr. Mouto and Miss Gardner?" Fuguta called softly.

"We're here," came the deep answer, drifting from the one with the spiky hair silhouetted against the street light. At the same time, it seemed he had his own glow.

Fuguta went to the side gate, going silent when he realized it was locked, and he did not have the key. Still, the goon was a member of Kaiba's goon squad for a reason. He pulled out a rope, throwing it over the fence. The height of the fence was about half of his height above him, so the gang grabbed the rope and waited while Fuguta tied Mokuba up to it, the boy hardly protesting.

The others pulled Mokuba up to the top rung. From there, he dragged himself up on top of it and jumped down, letting out a small groan as he hit the ground. When Fuguta's turn came, it took all of them to pull the goon to the top.

"Where's Mokuba?" he asked as soon as he hit the ground.

The others turned around and peered all over. Then one let out a small shout and ran after the little figure calmly walking down the sidewalk.

"We're goin' dis way, Mokuba. My truck's ova here." Joey pointed in the other direction.

Mokuba shrugged, not commenting on the name. By then, Fuguta had arrived and grabbed the boy's arm again. Now that they were free he did not want to lose Mokuba. The Januka household had kept him in, at least.

Joey was staring at the truck, rubbing his chin with a rueful expression. "Uh, sorry guys. Guess we'll be takin' a different route back. I don't want ya ta have ta ride in de back on de highway."

"I knew there was a problem with this," Tristan said, shaking his head. "Guess that means I get to ride without a seatbelt."

"What're ya talkin' about, Tristan? I got seatbelts in de cargo space!"

Téa stared at Joey. "Are you serious? Do you commonly carry so many people in your dad's _borrowed_ truck?"

No one knew when it had happened, but Yugi was back, looking fearful at the big back end of truck. "Um, I hope you drive better than you did on the way over."

"What!"

Tristan gave Téa a hand in, who scoffed when she saw what Joey considered "seatbelts." There were some streamers tied to the truck when it must have been used in some parade, but there was no way those would hold anyone in.

In a few minutes, everyone was where they belonged. Mokuba was next to Joey and Fuguta in the main truck, while the other three rode in the back, already feeling a bit chilled from the night air. With the flying bugs and darkening sky, it did not look like a fun ride in the slightest.

-

Hobson glanced over the papers in his hand, a leering smile making his triple chin more prominent.

"So, they want to have this appeal, do they?" He chuckled lowly. "And they think I will abide by the judge's orders to stop any changes in the company in case I lose? I don't think I'll lose. I've come too far to fail now."

Hobson signed a different document, ordering that the factories that had been making gaming supplies would have to go back to making instruments of war.

Gozaburo had it right the first time, Hobson thought. And I will add tools to make torture devices, furthering my master's ambitions! I do so love seeing how much pain and fear someone can take.

Then the man walked back into his office, looking out of the window Gozaburo had jumped through. For the rest of the night, his thoughts were on how to replicate the feeling of glass, freefall, and then a final crunch.

-

After more than three hours, everyone was sore and cramped. The three in the back were freezing. Bugs were adorning their clothing, limbs were stiffened from sitting in the hard tailgate, and the cold was permeated throughout their bodies. Even once they were at the hospital and inside the warm place, the cold had to go out before the warmth could come in.

"Maybe we should go to bed, first," Fuguta said, eyeing his watch. It was after midnight. It was only because the nurses recognized Fuguta for one of the Kaiba goons that they had been allowed inside after hours at all. But only two could be in a room anyway. The others would have to be in the waiting room. That way, there was little likelihood the teenagers would rouse the patients.

"Come back in the morning? What, should we just skip school?" Téa was yawning and thinking it might be a good idea to skip school in order to sleep in late.

Fuguta, now joined by Roland, looked over the gang members. In the meantime, Roland was overjoyed to see Mokuba. He bent down to talk to the boy, but Mokuba only had an absent stare in his face.

Roland stood back up and whispered to Fuguta, "Did you tell him about Mr. Kaiba?" The goon thought that must be why Mokuba looked so forlorn.

Fuguta pulled his comrade aside. "Uh, no. I have some things to tell you, Roland…"

Joey looked at the conferring goons, then to the others. "Hey, we came here for a reason. I say we go see Kaiba."

Gradually, dawning came upon the boy's face, and he focused on Joey. "What? Nii-sama's here?" Almost to himself, he added, "I thought I was going to have to talk to another doctor here."

Téa shushed Joey, telling him, "Now look what you did! Mokuba didn't know! Now you'll have upset him!" She smacked himin the back of the head, though it if made him lose any more brain cells, no one noticed.

Coming back to the others, Roland said, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Kaiba is not having any visitors at this time. You'll have to come back another day. Thank you for rescuing the younger Mr. Kaiba, however." Roland nodded to them, putting a hand behind Mokuba's back.

"After we go all this way, we don't even get to see Kaiba?" Tristan moaned as he walked back outside.

"Just keep walking," Téa answered, making certain Joey was with them at the same time.

After the other three had gotten ahead a little, Yugi looked back at the goons and Mokuba. "I hope everything turns out all right. We're wishing for the best for your brother and you, Mokuba!" Then he dashed after the others into the night.

Joey had revved up his dad's truck, waiting with the others for Yugi to squeeze inside if that were even possible. Once wedged in, they drove off into the night to get what sleep was left before school the next day.

There was a deadly silence over the three remaining, made more prominent by the fact that they were in a hospital. Roland nervously looked to Fuguta and Mokuba, then did it again.

"Sir, Fuguta has not finished updating me on everything, but I feel I must tell you the truth. Your brother tried to commit suicide a few days ago." He stopped, anxiously watching the boy's reaction.

There wasn't one for a long time.

Two different personas battled within Mokuba. One was his old self, the one who, though he tried to muffle it, still loved his brother with all his heart. The other was the new one who thought his brother deserved it.

_Nii-sama is injured, dying, maybe. I have to go see him!_

_Him? He doesn't care about me. Why should I go bother to see how he is doing? He wouldn't want me there._

_But why did he do it? It couldn't have been because of me, as I was already gone! Maybe he actually misses me!_

There was a snide laugh._ You think he remembers me? Most likely, it is for another reason he did this. Think of what he loves most—his company._

_No! I know he loves me!_

_Then why didn't he win the trial?_

_He tried to!_

_Did he?_

There was a silence in the boy's mind. He thought back to what had happened. He remembered seeing the tapes of their own house, tapes that their own camera could have easily made, used against them. The enraged tone in his brother's voice still made him cringe when he recalled the image that the tape had shown, when Kaiba had said Mokuba almost made him lose the company.

_Seto didn't give them those tapes. I'm sure of it._

_Then who did? One of the goons? Heh. They're closer to you than your own brother._

Roland and Fuguta were both alarmed at Mokuba's silence and stillness. A vacant stare had replaced his gaze, and his breathing had turned very shallow. Fuguta quickly whispered all the changes that had taken place in the Januka household, many of which Roland could not believe.

"Failing classes? No music? Sleeping in his spare time? Is this because he misses the other Mr. Kaiba?"

Fuguta shrugged helplessly. "It must be. I can't equate anything else with it."

_I thought you were supposed to be tough and powerful, like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Then prove that you don't need him or care about him. Leave him as he is._

_I just wanted to be wanted, that's all. I just wanted to be appreciated like a Blue-Eyes._

_Well, it is obvious you're not. Only these goons in suits care anything about you. And they're trying to figure out how to use you to their advantage._

_No! And you're wrong about not being appreciated! Seto loves his Blue-Eyes a lot! He has all three! They saved him before with his duels and Gozaburo, and I have to save him again!_

Mokuba took off running into the darkened hallways. It was fortunate that Roland and Fuguta were members of the goon squad, therefore having a quick reaction and following after the youth. Mokuba, after all, did not know where he was going.

"Mr. Kaiba, wait!" they called, trying not to be too loud, but not being completely quiet either.

There was a nurse's desk coming up, and she glared at them all. Without listening to any explanations, she stopped all three of them, even reaching out an arm to grasp Mokuba's arm.

With a frenzied look, the boy turned toward her, twisting his arm free at the same time.

"I need to find my brother!" he cried.

Pursing her mouth, the nurse waggled a finger at Mokuba. "That is no excuse for running down the halls in a hospital after midnight, young man! Residents are trying to rest and heal. How can they do so if someone is running? I will call security if you do not cease your ways."

"Yes, ma'am. We're terribly sorry." The goons were also extremely grateful, for she had halted Mokuba's mad dash. Roland put an arm on Mokuba's shoulder to ensure he would not take off again without warning.

With one last withering glare, the nurse let them go on their way again. This time, with the goons behind him holding him tightly, Mokuba walked, though he was like a dog straining at the leash.

"Sir, his room is right down here." Roland gestured down a very dim hallway, indicating to the room with alert goons outside. While the goons still lived with each other in an apartment, they did not feel their duties had ceased with the fall of the company. Instead, they still watched outside Mr. Kaiba's door every day and night, trading off.

Fuguta walked over to the others, shaking their hands with a smile. He had not seen Jaques and Sung for a long time. Roland turned toward Mokuba and had a grave look on his face.

"Sir, Mr. Kaiba is in there, and we will let you in—I think he'd do better with you there—but it will not be an easy sight. You see, Mr. Kaiba, the elder Mr. Kaiba attempted suicide. As of yet, he has not regained consciousness."

Mokuba's large eyes seemed to catch all the light that was in the dim hallway and reflect it back in order to make Roland uncomfortable. He thought the boy could see far more than was natural, almost as if he were blaming the goons for what they had been unable to prevent.

Finally, the younger Kaiba nodded, going slowly to the door and placing his hand on the doorknob. Then, taking a breath, Mokuba twisted it slightly, disappearing into the gloom where machines kept a steady beat and no true light reached.

-

The crisp knock at the door was unwelcome, but Hobson was not foolish enough to ignore it. He let in his main spy, smiling in sadistic pleasure in thinking what new victims the man could indicate for him.

"I have, sir, news of vast importance. It seems Mokuba Kaiba is at the hospital where his brother is."

"Ahh." Hobson gave a large grin, rubbing his fleshy hands together. "Then their attempt at a mistrial will go astray since they are now breaking the rules set by the judge." He paused a moment to bring more emphasis to his words. "And this company will remain mine. You can leave."

The spy hesitated a moment, casting a glance back at his employer. "And of my second role? What shall I do with Mokuba and Seto? Do you still want them gone?"

Again, there was a brief silence. Hobson had his immense back to the spy, gazing out the window. This time, his thoughts were on specific people.

"I have always wanted them gone. They should have never even become Kaibas. But I wish to deal with them myself. Now that they are together…it won't be too difficult. I have known them since they were young. I learned what symbols meant things to them. I spied even back then, in case it would come in handy. And so I have triumphed. I will turn them so far against each other that no one will bring them back together."

The spy nodded and left. The dark view of Domino City had very few moving lights at this hour, but of the few that were there, they made their presence known well. Yet, from so far below, all they could see was a light on in the president's office of what had been Kaiba Corporation. Hobson liked it best to be able to see and not be seen.


	9. To a Dismal Abyss

Chapter 9 …to a Dismal Abyss

Hobson's person was ready in the hospital. It only took a few minutes for her to get the message to move. What Hobson loved most was order and preparation. Therefore, they had been expecting something like this for some time. The goons outside the door did not stop the familiar nurse from entering the room, though Roland mentioned waiting until Mokuba had left the room.

"I'm sorry, but it is my routine to check Mr. Kaiba about now. I won't interrupt whatever is happening for long." She gave a charming smile and entered with a knock, so as not to startle the boy.

"Hello, dear," she said amiably, smiling again. "I'm just going to check how your brother is doing."

Bustling about the room, the nurse took no more notice of Mokuba. However, Mokuba took notice of her and held back, worried that he might do something that the nurse wouldn't approve of.

His brother did not look right, lying so pale on the bed, not moving. His wrists were still bandaged, but not as heavily as before. It was mainly the depression that kept him unconscious. Seto Kaiba did not want to wake up.

The nurse finished what she was doing and turned to the boy. She walked over to him and whispered, "I'm sure talking to him would help, don't you think? Oh! I almost forgot. There was something we found on him. I haven't read it, but I think you should. Here." The nurse handed a folded piece of paper to the boy, adding one last thing, "This I know is for you to do something with. It had your last name written on it in Mr. Kaiba's room. Have a good night!"

Mokuba took the second envelope, feeling the thickness at one spot. Puzzled and not anxious to begin speaking anymore, Mokuba took the two items and sat down in a chair. Gazing from one to another, he did not know which one to start with. Then, he decided the one that the nurse did not even know what it was would be a good place to start. Carefully, he unfolded the paper quietly, as if his brother were merely sleeping and Mokuba did not want to wake him.

The paper unfolded into a long letter, one that looked like it was Seto's handwriting. It was not addressed to anyone.

_In regards of my death, I have prepared the company as best I could. With my new experiments and products, I would appreciate if they were marketed out of Domino and across the globe._

Mokuba could hardly believe his eyes. The entire sheet was filled with everything about Kaiba Corporation. Who should take charge of what product. Who inherited Kaiba's shares. Mokuba's name was not even there. He did not get the company from his brother on his death, and his brother did not even seem to remember he existed.

"Seto…"

Mokuba glanced back to the letter once more, seeing a line he had missed at the bottom. He was not forgotten after all.

_I thought that with Mokuba gone I could finally work as much as I desired, but it seems the trial has hurt the company too much. I cannot stand losing sales like this; I must not go out like my step-father. But then, he did have one last way to make the papers…_

Kaiba had not even committed suicide for any true purpose. He had done it for one last big event to get some glory. Mokuba no longer wanted to be here. He wanted to attack his brother in his sleep-like state, making him hurt physically for all the pain Kaiba had put the boy through. Then, Mokuba wanted to ruin the company forever and make his big brother live, force him to accept blight on what he loved most in his life.

He would not have even gone to the second envelope but for curiosity on how thick it was. Mokuba tore apart the second and final envelope. Inside making the bulge were Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. These also had a note.

_Give these away when I'm gone. I don't need them anymore. But they did help give me power when I was here._

That was all. Kaiba had used the dragons for his power, had tried to commit suicide because the company had been failing, and Mokuba had been completely forgotten but for one line on how he had been a bother to his brother.

The boy jumped up. It wasn't fair! Now, even his new name was meaningless. His brother had not even seen any worth to his Blue-Eyes White Dragons. And like the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Mokuba would never be loved no matter where he went or what he did. Worthless, undesired, a nuisance…

The sparkle of tears flittered down Mokuba's face as he gave one last look to his brother.

"Why did I come here?" he asked bitterly. "Now I'll just get into more trouble when I get dragged back."

Slowly, his mind began to make sense of things. He did not _have_ to ever go back. He could leave now and be on his own. Or maybe one of the gang would harbor him. No, he did not want that. He wanted to prove that he would survive on his own, unloved, unwanted, and unneeded.

"I guess you got what you wanted, Seto. Now that I was out of the picture, I couldn't inherit your stupid company or be a problem for it anymore. You did everything right, big brother. Everything but one thing. Why are you still alive?"

With that, Mokuba turned around, dropping the papers onto the floor as he walked out of the door.

The goons were startled by his abrupt reappearance again, but when he said he was going to the bathroom, they pointed the direction and let him leave.

Quickly, Mokuba strode down the hallway on his little legs, wishing to leave everything behind him as soon as possible. It was not too hard to find the exit from the hospital—there were numerous signs pointing every now and then—so, before long, Mokuba was walking back into the pitch-filled area, shivering slightly from the cold and stumbling away on his own.

For a moment, it seemed someone was calling him. There was an opening in his gummed pitch-tar of a mind. Pain was at the surface, but so was someone very important. After working so hard to remain hidden and alone, struggling through the layers was difficult. There were still voices shoving him down, saying he deserved to remain where he was. _But Kaiba had heard his name from up there!_

Trying to regain consciousness was like struggling to unbury oneself from snow or sand. The weight bore down on him; the suction were clawed hands ripping him back down to the depths where knowledge was minimal and comforting.

No! he wanted to snap. My brother's up there!

But the ragged edges of unconsciousness did not care who was above. Even on hearing his name again, the struggle to rise was immensely difficult. Somehow, he knew he had to be faster. But as hard as Kaiba strained to awake, it was not fast enough.

His long-closed eyes had to blink multiple times to remove the film from them. Even then, it took awhile for the room to come into focus. An assortment of machines whirred and beeped. Only parts of their screens or buttons had light glowing in his room. Kaiba was at a hospital.

While a disconnected feeling came with it, Kaiba sat up in his bed, looking at his bandaged wrists.

"What—oh, yes. I thought I heard Mokuba."

Looking around his room, Kaiba's glance strayed to the floor. A couple pieces of paper were on the floor, one with something darker than the glowing whiteness under it.

In one arm was an IV, but Kaiba did not care what it was there for. He ripped it out, not flinching at the sudden pain. Then, hating the fact that his body was still sluggish and seeming not a part of himself, he put his legs to the floor.

"Nurses don't leave things on the floor."

Reaching down, he grabbed the papers and sat back up, gritting his teeth in anger with the slight dizziness that accompanied his movements. He should be stronger than this.

The thicker, darker miscellanea that had been on the floor slipped into the center of his hand. Their thickness and sleekness were utterly familiar.

"My Blue-Eyes White Dragons…" He took some time to just look at them, wondering how they had gotten there. Then he turned back to the rest of the papers. Unlike the Duel Monsters cards, nothing about these papers was familiar. In the lack of light, it took awhile for the handwriting to come into focus. What angered him was how similar to his own the writing was—especially when he saw what was written. They were written as if he himself had done it.

"Someone's in trouble," Kaiba commented softly to himself. "But, I wonder, did I ever truly hear Mokuba? How could I?" The surge of being awake had not altered his memory. His little brother belonged with the Janukas now.

Now was the time to see whether he wished to remain conscious. If he had tried to commit suicide before, yet had failed, why would he not try again? Nothing had changed since then, had it?

That was what Kaiba had to discover. After all, he was dead certain he had heard his brother's voice saying his name.

Giving a small growl of frustration, the CEO tried to talk himself out of it: I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo. When a person's unconscious, they dream or see blackness. If I heard voices, it was all in my mind. I just wanted Mokuba to be here, that is all. There's no way he would have been here. One, it is against the ruling of the judge. Two, he would never forgive me for that nasty letter I sent him.

Thinking that should satisfy him, Kaiba thought his mind would rest. But it did not. Something was still bothering him, and as much as he tried to persuade himself of the truth, there was one thing he was sure of: Mokuba had been here.

Mostly to calm his annoying mind, Seto Kaiba got to his feet and tread toward the door, more satisfied with himself now that no vertigo accompanied him. If his brother had been here, someone should have seen him.

There was a small draft of air accompanying the opening of the light door. Then, his eyes flicking casually to the left and right, he stepped free of his room, feet bare and in his own pajamas. No one had been able to convince Fintan that Mr. Kaiba should wear a hospital gown.

"Sir!"

"Sir!"

To his right, Fuguta and Roland snapped to attention, hurrying over. Jaques and Sung stared for a moment, and then also went closer to their former employer. Everything was as Kaiba could expect—he knew his goon squad had loyal members. But one thing was out of place. Even after being unconscious for a few days, Kaiba realized what the problem was in a matter of moments.

"Fuguta."

"Sir?"

"What are you doing here?"

The question spurred the goons to look at each other a moment before glancing around to see if Mokuba was returning yet. Now that they thought about it, Mokuba had been gone for awhile…

"Well, I came with Mokuba, sir." Fuguta hoped that was what he meant. If Kaiba was referring to something else, such as why was Fuguta _still_ here after Mokuba had gone, the goon sensed trouble.

"Weren't you up when he was in there, sir?" Roland asked.

Kaiba stared at him in reply. Then he looked down at the papers in his hands once more. "Where did he go?"

"He said he went to the bathroom, but I think he was lying. I am very good at telling these things."

"Then why didn't you say something sooner, Sung?" Fuguta ran down the hall in the direction Mokuba had gone.

By now, the time was past two in the morning. A few nurses were starting their shift, and they did not like what they saw in the hallway. There was a patient who should be resting and a bunch of adults who should know better than to talk so loudly in the dead of night!

One strode angrily toward them, a retort on her tongue. But as she grew closer, she recognized the patient for one of her own, and she gasped.

"You're awake!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious. Now that that's taken care of, I think I will get to more important matters." Kaiba turned his back to the nurse completely. It was time to know the truth. This was the real question he had wanted to ask ever since he had awakened and known for certain Mokuba had been there. _"Why was my brother here in the first place?"_

Roland licked his lips. "Well, sir, we know it was not completely the best idea. But I think you would have agreed that young Mr. Kaiba needed it! He was withering away at the Janukas. Fuguta can attest to that. He wanted to see you, sir. And we were not the only ones to guess that about him. Yugi Moto and his friends helped bring him here." Roland feared what that sentence would do to Mr. Kaiba.

The young man, however, was focusing completely on a different line Roland had said.

Mokuba wanted to see me! he thought. Does that mean he knows the real reason I wrote the letter and does not hold it against me? Kaiba suddenly shook his head. This was all nonsense. His brother still would not be able to remain with him. It would be best if Mokuba thought Kaiba meant what he put in the letter, even if it tore Kaiba apart. He had thought everything within him had died the day of the trial. Now, however, he was aware of just how much remained alive to shred again.

Mostly to rip himself away from such thoughts, Kaiba turned to the next part of the speech Roland had been afraid of. "Yugi Moto and his friends? How did they have anything to do with this? How did they even know where Mokuba was?"

Roland was saved from answering by Fuguta coming back. Though he had been running, the nurse could not bring herself to speak up again. Things were happening here that seemed more important than simple hospital rules.

"Sir! Mokuba is gone!"

Kaiba glanced down at what he still held. "I could guess…"

Jaques and Sung left immediately to begin searching for him. Roland and Fuguta remained with Mr. Kaiba to explain a few more things to him. The nurse finally left to go back to her real duties, though she tried without avail to make Seto Kaiba get back into bed to rest.

"All right, sir. Before anything else, I want to tell you that YO and the goon squad have continued working on the appeal without you. We have true evidence that the tapes the prosecution used for the trial were gotten illegally. There is no way the former verdict can hold. True; there may be another trial to see if you're guilty. But without the tapes, there cannot be most of the evidence they used. Once the truth is let out and the social workers see how you two truly get along, the jury will have to let Mokuba stay with you."

Again, Kaiba stared at them. The goons were not certain it was a good thing or a bad thing from the intensity of it. Therefore, they remained quiet.

"Appeal? But why did you keep working?"

Roland gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, sir, YO had told us about your initial reaction to the tapes during the trial. We thought it would be foolish to give up without pursuing the lead you first noticed."

Fuguta took over. "And I am convinced the appeal is necessary, sir. Mokuba has been depressed for days now. I fear what will happen if he has to stay any longer with the Janukas. They sent him to a counselor, but even with time, I don't think Mokuba will adapt. He's too attached to you, sir."

Kaiba could guess the real reason for Mokuba's depression. Bringing him here probably had the opposite reaction than the goons thought. It was probably the sight of Kaiba that made Mokuba run just now.

Along with these papers, he thought bitterly. Whoever had done this was going to have to pay. Saying he loved his company more than his younger brother…that was too far. Maybe it was easy for Mokuba to believe it. Kaiba knew he worked quite a bit. But it still wasn't true. And now, he had to find his brother before Mokuba was gone forever.

When they learned he was going out, the goons tried to persuade him to stay here. He had just awakened. He had been low on blood. He had only recently walked. It did not matter what they said. Kaiba would not listen.

"Do you or do you not still take orders from me?" he finally asked.

They bowed their heads in acquiescence. "Sorry, sir," they replied in unison.

"Roland and Fuguta, I think you could use some sleep. Inform the others of what is happening and then take some rest."

The goons looked at each other as Kaiba walked back into his room to change clothes. They could order him to sleep as much as they wanted, but he never listened. Yet, when the tables turned, they had to obey. Both goons sighed and left.

Early in the morning, Hobson was still awake as well. He did not like sleep very much, and he was far too excited to rest. Soon, the Kaiba nuisances would be gone for good!

Another knock sounded on his door. It had been an hour or so since the first one, but it was still too soon for the obese man.

"What is it?" he asked rudely.

"I'm sorry, Master Hobson. I thought you would like to know. The young Kaiba has run off, and the elder has awakened."

Awakened? That put a new twist to things. Hobson might still get to have fun with some real torture. But, he suspected they were experiencing plenty right now. After all, Hobson knew what those notes said.

"And there's no way to prove they aren't young Seto's handwriting!" he said with a cackle. He knew his plan had been ingenious. But it was even more so for the way he used Kaiba's own inventions against him.

True, this was an old invention that Gozaburo had also used to his leisure, but Hobson thought the machine was still plenty useful. It was attached to a computer that downloaded images of handwriting. Each one of the words on the sheet were ones Kaiba had written at some time in his life. Then, the computer was connected to the writing machine that used a robotic arm ad wrote with a pen or pencil, depending on how it was set up. The machines worked in unison like a computer and printer, only a person could choose a real person's font and print it out in real ink. Truly ingenious.

The spy obviously did not follow Hobson's train of thought, but it was simple enough to discover where the man had ended up.

"Does that mean I still can't take them out? What about this appeal that is tomorrow?"

Hobson waved a bloated hand. "They think they can prove those tapes are from the Kaiba mansion. So they can. It is simply the fact that I have perfect authority to use them as I want. Mr. Gozaburo Kaiba wrote that I was allowed to tape rooms and use them as I saw fit. Younger Kaiba never rewrote that rule. Since I was still working for the Kaibas at that time, I am perfectly legal in regards to the law."

Unable to stop gloating, Hobson added, "And if they don't believe that, I can prove that younger Kaiba did indeed give me permission. After all, I have this piece of paper with his signature on it proving that!"

The spy/assassin said nothing. It was that silence that Hobson reveled in, believing the man to be in awe of his own superior mind games. Just because Kaiba had the title of genius did not mean someone could not outsmart him.

Another boring school day. Joey groaned and rolled over, going back to sleep. In another house, Tristan did the same thing. In fact, Yugi and Téa were even close to falling back to sleep. But the latter actually cared somewhat about her grades, and Yugi's grandpa harassed him enough that he finally tumbled out of bed, thudding to the floor.

In spirit form, the other Yugi chuckled.

"You think that's funny?" the small boy cried, rubbing his side. "It's a good thing I don't wear the puzzle at night or I probably would have fallen right on top of it! Then you wouldn't be laughing, Mr. Pharaoh."

Yami was quiet, but he was still amused. Finally, he replied, "You think by falling on the puzzle you would have broken it into the original pieces again? Then you would just put it together again."

"Maybe I wouldn't. You don't seem worth it." Yugi needed a few more hours of sleep and one less annoying grandpa and Yami. Then, he might have been able to behave better.

Yami, at least, could sense his aibou's mind and commented no further. Solomon, on the other hand, had no idea what his grandson had been through. All the old man knew was that Yugi was late coming home. If Yugi wanted to be late, that was fine. He would just have to pay the price in school that day.

Granpa handed Yugi his bag and sent him out the door, shouting, "And I don't want any bad reports from your teachers, mister!"

Muttering darkly, Yugi walked off alone. Soon, however, his thoughts turned back to the events of the previous night and made him cheerful. He began thinking of the Kaiba brothers reunited and even started skipping.

I sure hope Kaiba wakes up for Mokuba. And I hope the appeal goes well, Yugi was thinking to himself, but he felt Yami's nod from within. Even if the pharaoh was not completely for Kaiba, at least he did not hate him utterly.

Yugi had to admit, later, that it was really the thought of his friends who did not know what was going on who made him want to go to school. They knew the four went over to the Januka house the previous night, but they deserved to know what happened there. All of them would worry needlessly if the four were absent from school the next day.

At lunch, then, he explained what happened.

Bakura's eyes went wide. "I can't believe you actually did that! Think of what sorts of trouble you could have gotten into! What you still can get into!"

"Speaking of trouble…" Téa said, yawning. At least she had managed to make it to school that day. "Where are those other two? I hope they haven't found any new trouble to get themselves muddled in."

"Knowing Joey and Tristan, they'll be in trouble." Duke shook his head. "At least, they will be when I see them next. It's not fair of them to skip when the rest of us go to school!"

"Well, I was thinking, Joey's uncle _is_ Kaiba's lawyer. Maybe he went along to the appeal today." Yugi stopped putting his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his mouth. "What?"

Téa gazed down sadly at her soup. Then she sighed. "Nothing," she said. "I just forgot how important this day was to certain people. I wonder if Kai—" Téa began before stopping herself and turning pink. And she thought Joey had a big mouth! These people did not know a thing about Kaiba's attempt at suicide.

"What were you going to say, Téa?" Bakura asked, eyes wide.

"Uh, nothing. Forget it. Let's start looking at our biology homework."

It had been four hours at least since Mokuba had run off on his own. Spending the chilly night out in the open air had not been one of his best ideas, but stubbornness ran in the family. The boy was proud he had done it.

"No one can ever tell me I can't take care of myself."

All right, Mokuba admitted that he was rather hungry and cold, and he knew spending one night on his own did not amount to "taking care of oneself." But he thought it was a start.

Bits of leaves and grass poked through Mokuba's black hair, and a few dirt stains rested on his elbows and knees. Overall, he thought he did well, though. His body was moving slowly and was a little stiff from sleeping on the cold ground, but he was managing. The only problem Mokuba had now was deciding where to go.

"Well, grown-ups have jobs to support themselves. I guess I need a job," he thought aloud. With a small pain, he remembered being the vice president of Kaiba Corporation, but that remembrance faded with the anger at his brother.

"Who'd hire me?" Then he sighed with gusto. Kicking a stone with his foot, he found his way up to the road.

Glancing both directions, he decided both looked equally distasteful. But there was nothing else for him to do. He was not going back to the Janukas.

Yet, the Janukas dearly wished he would come back to them. In the morning, when it was obvious both Mokuba and Fuguta were gone, they called the police. Already, the police were checking areas around the Januka mansion. At the same time, they also were searching diligently around the Kaiba mansion.

The counselor Mokuba had seen last reported everything he knew. However, the man was not optimistic.

"He was depressed. I fear what he will look like if we find him."

Mr. Januka glared at the man while holding his wife. "Keep your comments to yourself."

Amidst sobs, his wife asked softly, "Will we ever see him alive again?"

Her husband did not know what to say.

Kaiba was wondering along the same lines. His brother was depressed, he knew. Look what he himself had tried when he was depressed. Actually, Kaiba was not certain his brother was depressed. Mokuba may well have been angry. After reading that letter in his handwriting, Kaiba had been incensed…

But he knew as well that he deserved Mokuba's anger.

His phone rang. Somewhat disjointedly, Kaiba stared at his pocket, then dug out his cell phone.

"Yes?"

"Glad to hear you're awake, sir. This is YO, reporting about the appeal."

Kaiba was silent. Yo said nothing, though he was worried that he should not have called so soon. After at least a minute of silence passed, Kaiba said, "I think we should postpone it for another day."

"But…how late, sir?"

"Until I find my brother."

Kaiba hung up, looking over Domino City from his helicopter, knowing a search on foot could be more productive, but it would take such a long time as well.

"Oh, Mokuba. Where would you have gone?"

He sighed. Though it had passed through his mind,—it had to simply because he had done it once—Kaiba had not touched the bandages on his wrists. He had to find his brother now, and after the appeal which decided everything, Kaiba also had to make certain his brother was not so depressed if they lost. He could guess that his first way to detach his brother was the worst way he could have done it. Now, Kaiba owed it to Mokuba to do things in a better way—if he even had to worry about it.

The appeal information he had heard so far seemed hopeful. But Kaiba also did not want to hope any more than was necessary. He had thought there was no way to lose the trial. Then, by promising what was out of his grasp, Kaiba thought he had hurt his little brother more than if he had never been so optimistic.

Don't worry, Mokuba, Kaiba now said to his brother, not caring if this was another promise. This was something he would do no matter what. He continued thinking, I'll never just give up again. I'm coming to find you in order to prove that.

Of course, the boy heard none of it, and it probably would not have made much difference if he had. But it made Kaiba feel slightly better.

There was still one thing Kaiba had to check. As much as he despised the thought of it, the dweebs had helped bring his brother from the Janukas, so it followed that Mokuba was with them now. Yet, they would be in school wasting their sad time with attempts to grow smarter by listening to ignorant teachers drone on about topics that meant little today. So even if he did stoop so low to find his brother, and he had every intention of doing it, Kaiba had to wait.

Taking a turn with the copter, the CEO continued peering out the windows for any tell-tale black hair. However, very few people were on the streets at this time in the morning. And none of them was small enough to be his brother.

Mokuba sat down on a curb. "What do I do now?"

He had already tried to find employment at a few stores that claimed they were hiring. However, the people just laughed at him.

"Don't you know you have to be at least sixteen to work?"

Mokuba was silent, thinking, I should have known that. I bet everyone else my age knew that but me.

But, in reality, there was no real reason he should have known. Growing up as the vice president of Kaiba Corporation, it seemed there was no age limit on working (that is because there is not one when one is working with family). Besides, working somewhere else had never been on his mind, and he had never needed to know such things as when he could begin helping make money. Being privileged could do that to a person.

Now, three stores later, he was bummed at not succeeding in the next step in his plan. How could he survive on his own without work?

"I'm _not_ going back to the Janukas. Or anyone else, for that matter. Seto had taken control of his life when he was this age, so I can do the same. No one can tell me I'm not as smart as he is." Mokuba glared around as if an accuser were staring right at him, but he was alone. The boy's face fell, and his head fell into his hands. Sighing as if it were his last breath, he stared dully at the ground.

Very quietly, Mokuba replied to himself, "But it's true. I'm not as smart as he is. I'll probably die out here, all alone, forgotten."

There was a low chuckle. Apparently, someone was closer than he thought. The boy whipped his head up and whirled it around, seeing a smirking man nearby, leaning on a building.

"Not entirely forgotten, Mokuba Kaiba. Don't worry about that. I have a place for you."

The man came forward, gloved hands holding something that looked like fluid. Mokuba jumped to his feet, but he was not fast enough. The man's hand snaked out and grabbed his, yanking him closer.

"You're not going anywhere."

Opening his mouth to scream or shout—even forgotten people have voices—as the man sprayed the contents of the bottle into his face, a vile smell mushroomed up his nose, making the boy want to sneeze. Then, he began to waver as his body fell into a deep sleep.

The man easily hefted Mokuba's body onto his back and put him into the car that was nearby. No one was around. There was no one to know what happened on this abandoned section of the city. The only sound as the car drove off was a low rumbling from the sky as a chopper flew overhead.


	10. Time for Action

Chapter 10 Time for Action

Finally, the last class had come. Yugi took a deep breath in relief, sliding into his seat. However, the silence surrounding him made him instantly nervous. Joey and Tristan would be in serious trouble for missing _this_ class. Mr. Hanakori hated them already; being absent would just make the teacher pick on them more. And with math, it was not difficult to purposefully make the problems so the boys would fail.

Yet, Yugi's worries werefor nothing. A few moments after the bell rang for class to start, a female teacher walked in, somewhat disheveled. The short boy recognized her from Téa's art class.

"Sorry, I'm late. I'll be your substitute today."

Instantly, students began whispering. Mr. Hanakori was _never_ gone. He loved tormenting the students too much. Yugi really wished Joey and Tristan were here, as they would be furious that they missed the day the teacher was gone.

Somewhat dazed, Yugi got out his books to do the worksheet assignment they had as an assignment. Knowing Mr. Hanakori, he was not surprised it was fifteen pages, but he still was thrilled the teacher himself was absent.

As he suspected, Joey and Tristan were cursing their ill luck. Unsurprisingly, despite the fact they were "sick," they were waiting outside the shop for him after school.

"I don't believe it!" they moaned together.

Before Yugi could agree with them, Grandpa came out of the shop holding the phone.

"For you, Yugi!"

"Huh?" Yugi took it, wondering who could be calling him. His friends were all around him. "Hello?"

"Yugi."

The voice was irritated, mainly because the estimate for the time it would take Yugi to get to his house from the exact time the last bell rang had been slightly off. However, Kaiba had not counted on the fact that Joey and Tristan were waiting nearby to ambush him before he could enter. If they had not been there, Kaiba's call would have been just as Yugi walked by the phone.

However, he was also extremely irritated because he was worried that Mokuba was still missing because of what Kaiba had done in the first place…So all in all, Kaiba was mostly angered at himself.

"K-Kaiba?"

The others with Yugi all opened their eyes wide, except Bakura, who did not know what was going on, though he was also astounded. Kaiba would never call Yugi. The others who did not know the Kaiba's story had not come over to Yugi's shop after school.

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten who I was just because I haven't been in school," he replied sarcastically. There was the other fact—that the gang no longer had the reminder of Kaiba Corporation to bring Kaiba to mind. Now, as all the papers were fond of headlining, the new owner would be changing the name and the product type. But Kaiba did not want to get into a conversation about the company. He had more important matters on his mind.

Getting back to those matters, Kaiba's voice stopped the cynicism, instead attempting to hide the more worried tone. "Have you seen Mokuba recently?"

Now Yugi's eyes were as bulbous as a fly's. Yami would have had something to say except he was listening closely as well.

"Mokuba was supposed to be with you! We brought him to the hospital and…" Yugi couldn't finish, seeing Bakura blinking in surprise and knowing that Joey had said it was a secret. Hating to be rude but hating to break a promise more, Yugi left the others and went inside with the phone.

"I mean after that." Kaiba gritted his teeth. Couldn't they understand the urgency?

Yugi shook his head before remembering Kaiba could not see the action. "No. We went home and that was the last I saw him. Hmm…two missing people in one day." There was no reason to have Mr. Hanakori brought to mind when thinking of Mokuba, but Yugi could not restrain himself from speaking his thoughts, even ones that just popped up.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, just that one of my teachers was missing. Well, I guess, it would be one of_ our_—"

"Which one?" Kaiba interrupted.

Now blinking himself, Yugi answered, "Mr. Hanakori. Isn't it odd? He's never absent."

Kaiba had to agree, not that he considered a missing teacher anywhere near as catastrophic as a missing brother. But just hearing the name Hanakori brought to mind the trial, where the man himself had testified against Kaiba. He could still see Mr. Hanakori glaring and then sneering triumphantly…

Flashback

"Seto Kaiba? What do I think of him? He's a rotten, disrespectful student. I sent him to the principal to be suspended, you know. He was always mouthing off to the teachers and trying to show off how much he knew that wasn't even related to class. I'll be glad when his brother can live with someone else. Then, the poor soul won't have such a bad influence."

The prosecuting attorney nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Hanakori. I'm glad to see we aren't the only ones looking out for Mokuba's well-being. Can you tell me the worst thing Kaiba has ever done in your classroom?"

The teacher leaned forward, a glint in his eye. "I recall many perfectly. But the worst was one I witnessed when I was sitting in the class observing for the science teacher. It seems that another unfortunate young man—I forget who—was teamed with Kaiba. As a joke, Kaiba told the other student how to make the concoction. However, Kaiba lied, knowing what would happen. The chemicals burst, splattering people and even causing some burns. The one who was his partner got the brunt of it." Mr. Hanakori tragically shook his head. "People like Seto Kaiba shouldn't even have younger siblings, much less be required to care for one."

End Flashback

His partner had been Joey Wheeler, and not that many students had gotten hurt. The chemicals only stung a little; they certainly left no long-lasting damage. Kaiba would never want lawsuits after him. But it did not matter. That evidence and more had managed to take his brother away from him.

"Kaiba?" Yugi's voice was worried.

Coming back to himself with a jolt, Kaiba shook his head, making his brown umber hair go slightly awry.

"Can I help look for him?"

Kaiba closed his eyes for a brief time. "I don't think it would help if Mokuba did not want to be found. Good bye, Yugi."

"But, Kaiba!" The phone went dead in Yugi's hand.

Yami was shaking his head. "Still the same Kaiba, I see. Not even being near death can change him."

"Yami, he's just worried. Besides, I'm sure he wants to get back to searching for Mokuba. We should go out and look also!" Yugi raced to put down his backpack and go tell the others. Any protesting from the other Yugi went unheard.

Solomon wisely decided not to comment on his grandson's frantic rushing around. Instead, he just shook his head and muttered to himself as Yugi went back outside.

"Guys, we got to go look for Mokuba! He's missing!"

"What! We just got him back!" Joey glared all around. "Where'd he go and why? And how was Kaiba on de phone?"

"It's a bit of a long explanation, and we need to get going!" Yugi began dashing away.

There was a chuckle inside Yugi's mind. "A long explanation? Aibou, you don't even know about Kaiba waking up. You hardly know what is going on." Yami lost the amused tone. "None of us do. I hate it when Kaiba puts us in these kinds of situations…"

"Yami! We have to help! He's our friend!"

"I've told you more than once, Yugi. He's your friend, not mine."

The boy sighed, knowing he would never win that argument. So he ignored the other part of himself, panting as he ran down the streets, periodically calling out for Mokuba. Because of his short legs, however, it did not take long for the others to catch up to him and demand that he explain himself more.

"Kaiba told me Mokuba is missing! We have to go find him right away."

"Explain more, Yuge. How was Kaiba even able ta call you?" Joey glanced at Bakura and decided to come clean. Quickly, he explained what had happened. Bakura had no response but to look even more shocked.

Yugi finally waited long enough to spill all he knew, though it was not very much. What he was most curious about, besides Kaiba waking up, was why Mokuba had left. The others were as interested as he was.

"All Kaiba said was something about Mokuba not wanting to be found. What do you think that means, guys?"

"Eh," Joey took on his painful look of contemplation. For a few minutes, everyone thought as well, until Joey spoke up and asked, "Uh, what was de question again?"

Tristan put Joey in a headlock, shaking his own head as Joey struggled. "Sometimes, man, I can't believe you're even stupider than I am."

"Stupider!" Joey laughed triumphantly. "Heh haha! Dat's not a word!"

Téa shook her head. "You guys, we're trying to come up with a reason that Mokuba doesn't want to be found so we can find him easier! How can you goof off at a time like this?"

Bakura hesitated a moment, then gave his input, "Actually, stupider _is_ a word. I just thought you'd like to know."

Moaning and shaking her head, Téa added, "Don't encourage them!"

Yugi had waited long enough. "All right. I have to go find Mokuba! I don't know why he doesn't want to be found, but I think it just shows that he needs to be found now more than ever! You can come whenever you're finished fooling around!" Yugi turned and began running, the yellow strands of his hair blowing with his speed.

Tristan, Joey, and Bakura got startled expressions. Nearby, Téa took one extra minute to glare at the others.

"You see? Yugi's not even acting like himself he's so worried! Now get a grip and help!" After one more dirty look, Téa called out for Yugi to wait for her.

The others exchanged glances, shrugged, and then hurried after the others, homework and teachers forgotten as they looked for a young boy who did not want to be found in order to help the boy's brother who did not want help.

The knocking at the door came as they expected. But, it was no report on how things were going. Instead, the stern look of the social worker glared over her glasses as she was escorted inside. In one arm was a portfolio of overflowing papers. The other held a pen in a grip that turned the knuckles white.

"Mr. and Mrs. Januka! You put off making Mokuba speak with me, and now I hear he has gone missing! I want some explanations about what is going on and how this all happened. We took the boy from his brother so he would not be ignored and forgotten, yet it seems that is what is happening here."

Mrs. Januka turned her head away to try to hide her tears, while her husband turned to the social worker with a glare of his own.

"What right have you to enter into our house and accuse of things we had nothing to do with? I ought to have you thrown out for harassment!"

The woman smugly adjusted her glasses. "You can't. I have a written order from a judge to discover the happenings surrounding Mokuba Kaiba's disappearance. You are one of the top suspects of guilty people. The other, his brother, is also being harassed right now, if you want it put that way."

The Janukas had no idea Seto Kaiba had tried to commit suicide, so they were not shocked that someone could pester him. That, at least, had been kept as secret as possible. However, it was not likely to last much longer. With all the investigations going on with the Kaibas and Janukas as well as the former "Kaiba" Corporation, anything one wanted secret was likely to come out.

Drawing a shuddering breath, Mrs. Januka turned back around, freeing herself from her husband's too-supportive arm. Eyes red and hair out of place, she seemed especially pitiable, but the social worker had learned long ago not to feel pity. It got in the way of work.

"You think Seto Kaiba might have stolen Mokuba away? We know that his former employee, Fuguta, has also left without a notice. You think it was all a plan?"

The social worker sat herself down in a plush chair. Crossing her legs and clicking her pen, she began taking notes.

"Mrs. Januka, I do not know what to think. But it would help if you told me everything that has happened. In many of these cases, the boy himself is as likely to run as to have been helped. So, tell me all you know. The more you cooperate, the better it will go for you with the proceedings."

Slowly, the Janukas sat down in their furniture, the missus gathering her emotions tighter around herself to describe everything that had happened since the boy had been brought home.

The mansion was slowly getting back to normal. Goons now occupied the places they formally had. Kaiba was back in his room. But, of course, the problem was the lack of Mokuba. Right then, there was another problem as well.

"Sir, there is someone at the door who wants to talk with you. He had police insignia and is waiting downstairs. It's about your brother."

"Hmm. Only to be expected. But I don't have time to deal with these people. I need to find my brother."

Leaning back in his chair, Kaiba hit the "print" button on the computer, reaching for the page as it came out of the machine. It was a map of Domino City, with places on it marked where he had checked from his helicopter. However, now he had to do a search on foot as well. According to his math, because of Mokuba's mass, stride length, and health, he could not have made it more than seven miles out of the city yet. Kaiba had to find him before he did.

Unless… There was always the possibility that his brother had gotten a ride from someone or traveled in some other means. But, hopefully, Mokuba had done no such thing.

I have to find my brother before it is too late. I have to. Kaiba stood up as he made a fist. First, I'll talk to these officials who will think I kidnapped my brother. Then, the search will continue until I find him. I have to believe it won't be too late.

Sung breathed a sigh of relief as Kaiba headed downstairs. The man at the door had been polite, but he was very distant and cool. No doubt he cared little for what was actually happening. The man was most likely more interested in getting his work done and final paycheck.

The policeman was waiting before the fireplace. Hearing the steps, he turned and extended his insignia once again. Kaiba's eyes flicked over it once, then rested on the man before him, coldly appraising him as the policeman was doing to him.

Crisply displayed in the police uniform, the man held his hat in one hand. He had cold eyes, sternly looking at Kaiba. Everything about the man showed order and precision, with a detachment. Nothing on him had any personality; instead; he merely wore what was required and kept his identity a secret. Kaiba doubted he had any immediate family himself.

"Mr. Seto Kaiba." The way the policeman said his name sounded like he was about to spit out an accusation. However, he continued in a milder tone, "I need to ask you some questions concerning your brother. If you cooperate, everything will be done more swiftly and efficiently. Please understand that I am doing my job and want to help find the boy foremost."

The speech sounded rehearsed. Kaiba didn't believe a single syllable of it.

"Then why don't you get looking for him instead of wasting both of our time?" Kaiba did not ask him to sit down and did not move to shake the man's hand himself. He did not expect the policeman to take him seriously, but anything was worth a try. The man seemed as if he would be loathe to waste time.

The policeman did not react or move. "I am afraid I am trying to do my job, Mr. Kaiba. If you will not cooperate, that is fine. I will report to my superiors and prepare to speak with your lawyer." He turned to leave, replacing his hat on his head.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, wondering how far the man would go. They were very similar, this policeman and Mr. Kaiba. At least, it was very similar to the way Kaiba had been before losing Mokuba.

Taking a breath, Kaiba released any pride that was left in him. This was for his brother's benefit, and only for Mokuba could Kaiba belittle himself.

"Wait."

The policeman inclined his head.

"I'll cooperate. I want to find my brother as quickly as possible, but you have to understand that I do not know everything that happened. I was…incapacitated for a time. When I awoke, Mokuba was already missing. I have reason to believe he will not come back willingly."

The policeman raised a blond eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that? And I would like to know more about the circumstances surrounding what you _do_ know."

Kaiba did not blink or move. Easily, he answered, "That is not under debate. All I know that will be useful I will tell you. Anything else does not pertain to you. You have your job to do and so do I."

His job, of course, was protecting those employed under him. Fuguta and the other goons had no reason to be brought into this. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Kaiba had no desire to involve Yugi and his friends.

Crossing his arms, Kaiba made eye contact with the officer, both trying to out-stare the other. They were well-matched. After at least a full minute, the policeman ducked his head, hiding a smile.

"I see, Mr. Kaiba. Well, I'll do what I can, though I can't say that it will amount to much. There is so little I understand."

Kaiba proceeded to explain all that he felt he could reveal, which was not much. The circumstances involving Mokuba's appearance remained mysterious. However, Kaiba did explain where he had last seen Mokuba (which was based on where the goons had seen him last), and what kind of mood the boy most likely was in.

The time dragged on like it had for Mokuba at the Janukas when depressed, but the officer finally had enough information to begin the investigation. Before leaving, of course, the policeman warned Kaiba that this was not nearly finished.

"There is still much left unsaid. You'll be hearing more from me or my compatriots."

Kaiba gave a creepy kind of smile. "I understand."

With that, the police officer tipped his hat at the young CEO and walked to the door. Before vanishing into the night, he cast a glance back. The suspicious, amused glance in his eyes was all too familiar to Kaiba, who wished the past could be redone.

When a faint bit of light came to his eyes, a sharp pain accompanied it. The boy suppressed a groan as his head pounded along with his heartbeat. A rank smell still lingered in his nostrils, causing a slight pain with each inhale.

Slowly sitting up, Mokuba rubbed the bottom of his nose, wincing when his fingers brushed against the bottom of his nostrils where the chloroform had imbedded itself. The sleepiness gradually left his eyes and mind, leaving him free to investigate his surroundings.

All the area was dark and still. The light he had seen previously was from under the doorway. A small crack of light had fallen just onto his eyes when he was lying on the ground. Now, stiff from his position and feeling thick-headed from the powder, the room and light seemed to blur together. By not moving much more, everything went back into focus. The more time that passed, the more awake he felt and the more he could remember what had been going on.

He had been kidnapped.

Someone is after me, he thought to himself, the little strain of fear causing his heart to lurch. But I don't even know why. The man just grabbed me without an explanation. And now, here I am.

Mokuba almost gave a little whimper, but he restrained himself. Now was no time to go soft. He had to save himself as best he could. Therefore, he gradually climbed to his feet, steadying himself on the wall. Then, the boy began walking around the room, seeing if it were truly as empty as it appeared.

The darkness had hid more than it had seemed to. A few boxes with random miscellanea were stacked at one end as a dust collector. Everything else about the room was cold, smooth, and bare. Not even mice had gotten in this area, and it was most likely because of the metal-feeling walls.

There was no sound on the other side of the door, and when he slowly tried the knob, it was locked. Well, that was to be expected. If he had been kidnapped, the people who had taken him should not have been so foolish to forget to lock the door. Feeling satisfied that he would be warned by some sound before anyone entered, Mokuba went to the other side of the room to begin looking through the boxes covered with dust.

The first wrinkled box had just been cleared of dust and pulled open, a sudden thought hit the boy.

"That man was familiar," he whispered to himself. "I'm sure I saw him before."

The image of Mr. Hanakori passed before his eyes as the teacher had been at the trial. Obviously, something of his brother's memory had come through his genes as well. Mokuba was certain the teacher was the same one who had taken him against his will.

"But what use is knowing that?" he asked with a sigh. "I'm still stuck here."

Mokuba went back to opening the box, finding nothing but papers stacked in the box. Feeling as though this work would last forever, Mokuba struggled to move the box from the others and begin searching through the ones under it as well. With still no sounds from the other side of the door, the search would be a long one. Still, he had nothing better to be doing.

After thirteen kids with black, longish hair (eight had been girls) had effectively been bothered, the gang was losing hope. Now, parents with kids who had seen the high school kids walking up to strangers and shouting out a name were hurrying by, hands clutching tightly to their children.

Tristan hated the looks sent their way. "It's not like we're kidnappers," he said, scowling at another person hastening by on the other side of the street. The parent had crossed it just before them.

"Come on, guys. We have to keep looking! We have to help find Mokuba!"

"Maybe Kaiba and his goons already found de kid. Did you dink of dat, Yuge?" Joey moped along the street, no longer getting enthusiastic with every black-haired child before them.

Yugi stopped walking. "You guys can go on home. You don't have to help. But the Kaibas are my friends, and I wouldn't feel right leaving them to this alone. You do have a point, though, Joey. Maybe Téa could call?"

Téa gave a face. "What? No way! Kaiba doesn't want to talk to us!"

"Then I'll just keep looking," Yugi replied determinedly.

Domino City was large, and the gang had rarely been as far in it as now. Sure, they had wandered around before, but never so far as this, where only Yugi was keeping them going. The arcade and favorite restaurants were far behind. Still, the others kept doggedly after the short punk.

Finally, after three hours had gone by in their search, Joey grabbed Yugi by the collar, making the boy's shirt come slightly untucked.

"All right, Yuge, I agree someding should be done. But even I remember dat you said Kaiba said Mokuba wouldn't want ta be found. So, we gotta go somewhere else and search. He won't just be wanderin' around de street."

Tristan nodded. "As odd as it sounds, Joey's right. We ought to look somewhere else, or at least see if anyone has found him yet. If nothing else, we deserve more information if we're going to keep searching.'

Bakura wearily agreed, and even Téa had to admit Joey was making sense. So, disheartened, Yugi decided to travel back to their area of Domino. Even if he were not going to do his homework, Yugi's grandfather was probably worried about him by now. Even if the old man were not worried, Solomon most likely was annoyed that Yugi had not been around to do his chores yet.

The walk back took about forty minutes. All five dragged themselves into the shop, looking dejected and exhausted as they took a seat in the house. Solomon stared at them all from where he was sweeping the store's floor.

"Ho ho ho. What brings you here so late, everyone? And, Yugi, where have you been for so long? You should tell me when you're going to go gallivanting around so I can plan the chores accordingly!"

"Sorry, Grandpa. I should have told you where I was going, but I was in such a hurry. And I'll do extra chores another night."

"Of course you will!" Grandpa huffed, going back to his sweeping.

Holding the phone in his hand, Yugi still hesitated before dialing. He wished he had some good news to tell Kaiba. It would have made calling the CEO much easier. But then, that was one of the reasons he was calling in the first place—to see if there was any good news he did not know about.

Sighing, he finally dialed the number, ignoring any startled looks from his friends. Téa leaned over and whispered what Yugi had told her about knowing all the phone numbers of friends. The others chose not to comment again after that.

"Hmm?" This was not Kaiba's voice, but a goon's.

"Excuse me? Is Kaiba there?"

The goon gave another noncommittal sound, asking, "Why do you ask?"

Yugi gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Well, this Yugi! I'm a friend! Kaiba told me about Mokuba being missing, so I wanted to know if you had any updates. Have you found Mokuba yet?"

The goon paused, no doubt seeking authority to give details to Yugi. "I'm sorry, sir, but the younger Mr. Kaiba has not yet turned up. But Mr. Kaiba gives his regards to you for having tried to find his brother."

Yugi blinked in surprise. "He does?"

The goon continued without a pause, "He'll inform you when Mokuba is found. Have a good evening."

After hanging up, Yugi still wore a shocked expression. Yami chucked in his head.

"Aibou, you have such a strange expression on your face. I must admit, however, that I am also surprised. I don't think Kaiba has ever been so accommodating to anyone." Yami's face turned contemplative.

Not choosing to answer his other self, Yugi explained what he had heard to his friends. They were as surprised as Yami at Kaiba's parting words.

"I bet it was a goon dat put dat in. Kaiba'd never say dat!"

The others mostly agreed. Then, as it was growing late, the four visitors said their farewells. They had school the next day, and even those who disliked doing homework had to check in with their relatives, and Joey merely wanted to crash on his own bed before his father stumbled home from his last bar trip.

Locket open in his hands, Kaiba gazed at the smiling face of his younger brother. He wondered if he would ever see such an innocent smile again. If he did not, then it would be Kaiba's fault.

The moonlight broke free of the clouds and shone into Kaiba's bedroom. The silvery light merely made it seem even more foreign to the CEO. Ever since Mokuba's departure, nothing in the mansion seemed like home. In fact, it was the younger boy who had ever made it seem like a home and not a house. Kaiba, who had slept little before, could hardly sleep at all now. Eating was a bother, but one that was mechanical and done in order to stay strong for Mokuba.

A shadow from the tree in the backyard waved gently before the window. The tree that Mokuba had loved to climb, despite Kaiba's strict rules…

"Mokuba," he whispered to the picture. "If you are happy where you are, I hope you can stay there. Otherwise, know that I am looking for you. Nii-sama's searching for you and will never give up. Never."


	11. In Which One Takes Charge

Chapter 11 In Which One Takes Charge

Hobson was annoyed.

When he was annoyed, it was dangerous. The board of directors had already discovered this when they realized that he was serious about taking over the company himself. Needless to say, they no longer bothered anyone about Hobson being in control, which was what the man desired.

Right then, the spy before him was growing bothersome.

"I've told you before, Hanakori. I don't want Kaiba killed until there is no way for it to be tied to us. With the looming appeal, fingers would point to us. I don't care how much you hate him; believe me, I despise him more. So, watch yourself."

Mr. Hanakori remained silent, though his own irritation was apparent.

"Then what do you want to do with the other one? Mokuba is merely awaiting your pleasure in the storage room."

Hobson guffawed. "Good, good, good. I cannot wait to deal with that young one. He is as annoying as the elder Kaiba. Which room is he in? How did you take him?"

As Hanakori began to go into details about the kidnapping, Hobson's master-minded brain began ticking off items from the need-to-do list. With the appeal moved to an indeterminate time, there was going to be something outstanding that would annoy him. Yet, at least one loose end had become tidy.

The boxes of paper were unintelligible in the darkness that enwrapped Mokuba. When he had finally reached the last box and discovered it held only more papers, any yearning hopefulness plummeted to the ground. Nothing in these boxes would help free him.

Sighing to himself, he remembered how this reminded him of the time he and Téa were trapped in a warehouse. Then, it had been filled with boxes as well. Recalling the experience, Mokuba glanced up the wall. Maybe it was possible to do what they had done before…

Heart pounding, he could dimly see the outline of a vent high on the wall. Better yet, the vent was one of the larger kind found in professional buildings. He would fit inside it easily. Gwalin from the goon squad had taught him well.

Quickly, Mokuba began piling up the boxes so that he and the boxes would become tall enough to reach the vent. With all the papers in the cardboard, as they were stacked full, it was unlikely that they would crumble beneath his weight. Freedom was so close from such an amusing tactic he could almost forget this was something serious and not a game.

Still, no sound came from the other end of the door. But, with bad luck, someone would come to check on him now that he was leaving or immediately after his exit. Hesitating or delaying would just aid whoever kidnapped him, so Mokuba scrambled up the boxes, teetering near the top for a few seconds. Precariously balanced, he waited just long enough to keep his footing and then reached the vent.

No screwdriver!

Mokuba could have sworn an oath, but he thought staying quiet was best. Time against him, the boy did what he had to do—sticking his thumb nail into the screw's edges, he struggled to use the nail as a screwdriver.

Fortunately for him, it only cost him four nails. The screws were relatively loose and came out after a bit of a struggle. Even with throbbing fingers, the end result of an open route was worth the pain. Not knowing what to do with the grille that had covered the vent, Mokuba placed it inside the vent itself, crawling over it.

He glanced back down once. His trail was obvious. There was little he could do to hide it, so Mokuba decided to use speed instead of secrecy. Without replacing the cover at all, the boy scooted and crawled down the slick tunnel.

Everything was still dark, but this time, he was very closed in and blind. Fresh air blew occasionally, and that was when Mokuba knew he was going by a new path in the vents. Unsure of where to go, he chose on whim which direction to take. At the ends of some of the paths, a glitter of light shown. While that might have been his overall goal—gaining freedom to a different room—Mokuba did not think that one with a light on would be at all helpful to him. Therefore, he continued in various directions.

Crawling along the bottom of a metal vent was not as easy as it would seem. For one thing, even Mokuba was a little big for it. His back soon cramped from constantly being bent in odd directions. Then, with everything so close letting through no breeze, he also began to sweat.

Being uncomfortable and warm, Mokuba kept forgetting that he was also supposed to be silent. With metal encasing him, any extra exert of pressure resounded down the vents with hardly a warning. There was no way to stifle it. Cringing and hoping no one heard him, Mokuba would pause for a moment, then move on again, determined to be quieter. He had to remember that stealth was needed over speed now that he had gotten himself lost in the vents.

Thinking of Gwalin, Mokuba wondered how the short man lived in the vents at the Kaiba mansion and could move so quietly. But then, the thoughts of the mansion brought unwanted other thoughts, so he turned his mind away from one worry to a different one.

He hoped no one turned the heat on any time soon.

It had been at least a half hour by now. Everything in the vents looks the same. Mokuba feared he was completely lost, victim to the repeating gray metal and fractured light from where the vents reached the light of day.

"I've been stupid," he moaned to himself. "Even if I get somewhere I want to be, I won't be able to escape. The vents unscrew from the outside."

So, lost and trapped inside the vents, the boy despaired of ever getting out alive.

Now I know I'm dumb, he said to himself. Everyone else knew it long ago, when they wanted to adopt Seto and not me. Dumb people should just die.

Sitting cross-legged in the vents, Mokuba finally reached down to grab what he meant to get rid of long ago. Clasping his necklace in his fingers, he cocked it open one last time…

…except seeing his brother's smiling young face almost made him change his mind.

"No," he whispered to himself firmly. "That Seto is gone. He may have wanted me, but this Seto is ruthless. He just uses me like he used the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I won't let him control me anymore!"

With that, he undid the necklace, holding it in his fingers. Below him was an opening in the vent that went somewhere deep into the basement from what he could tell. The slits that let out air were large enough, he guessed. All Mokuba did was cast one final glance at the card amulet and release it.

A small thud revealed that it was stuck in the vent. Stuck. Everything in Mokuba's life went wrong!

All he wanted was the final reminder of his brother gone forever, and Seto had to go lodge himself in the vents and remain a nuisance! Mokuba wouldn't take that! He refused to allow himself to be hurt and pestered anymore! If Seto wanted to continue to hurt him, Mokuba would never let him. Today, Seto would be gone for good!

His anger boiling more than the heaters would if they were on, Mokuba stuck his legs over the side of the shaft that went down. The tunnel he was following had paths that went up and down, as well as side to side. The one he had dropped the card necklace down was a vent that would open in the ceiling of another room, but try as he might, Mokuba could not reach the bottom of the downward shaft by just putting his feet over the edge.

It's time for you to leave forever, Seto, Mokuba thought grimly.

Easing himself over the edge even farther, the boy did not care if he got trapped in the bottom of the ventilator shaft. If he had to die to destroy his brother, so be it. At least, that was what his rage said.

Before his feet could touch the bottom and squish the card into the grating to be lost in the basement of this building forever, Mokuba slipped. His hands scraped the edge of the smooth metal, but it did not slow his descent.

With a rubbing sound echoing behind him, Mokuba's feet finally jarred him to the top of the vent, his left foot on top of the necklace. However, before he could begin to maneuver to push the card through the slits, the strength of his fall tore the screws loose from the shaft.

For a split second, Mokuba's eyes widened and he struggled to hold on to anything. But there was nothing there. Then, the slender bit of grille beneath him broke free from the ceiling and plunged him down into the darkness.

One thing managed to break his fall and at least one bone. A wet crunch ricocheted into the air, his body made a dull thud, and then metal hitting metal was the only thing fading away.

Worms of light crawled across his vision as pain shot up his arm along with an uncontrollable trembling. He could not move for several minutes, straining just to stay conscious.

Are you happy now, Seto? You took care of me in the last. I won't make it after all.

The boy gritted his teeth as he struggled to sit up, but the wind was knocked out of him and his torso was completely bruised. He decided it was better to stay on the ground. Somewhere under him, prodding him in the back was the annoying amulet. Somehow, it was still near him and refusing to let him go to sleep. If anything happened to him after that, Mokuba just wanted to remove that burden from him.

The vent grille was also under one of his legs, but it was not nearly as irksome as the necklace. Finally, groaning, he rolled over onto his side, clutching the arm that was not pressed against the floor.

Warm and sticky blood oozed onto his fingers, and when his finger brushed against something smooth with the blood, Mokuba finally let the blackness take over.

School was over again for the day, finally. It had been especially hard for Joey and Tristan, even though they had had one fewer day than everyone else.

Moaning, they clutched their heads.

"I can't fit in one more educational word!"

"If I hear about one more test I dink I'll die!"

Téa glared at them. "You, two!" she said warningly. "Maybe if you actually came to school more often and did the homework, education and tests wouldn't be so hard to contemplate!"

Yugi had been listening, amused as usual, though a little worried, since his grades were not nearly perfect either, when he suddenly remembered something. Letting out a gasp, he stopped in his tracks.

Duke glanced at him. "What's the big deal? We have to get going so I can show you the new game at my shop."

"But I just remembered!" Yugi did not even finish before taking off at a run to go to his grandpa's game shop.

The others looked after him before turning back to Duke. Being aware that he was the focus of everyone's eyes, he tossed his hair and gave a smile. "Well, you are all still welcome to my game shop. I promised you would be the firsts to test the merchandise!" He looked from one to the other.

Téa uncomfortably looked over to where Yugi's tri-colored hair still bobbed up and down like a boat at sea.

"You guys go on ahead. I have to see what's up with Yugi."

"So do I," said Joey.

Duke scoffed. "No way. The one time I offer you to do something with me and you turn me down?"

Tristan punched Duke's shoulder. "Don't worry, man, I'm going to go with you. I still need to find myself a game that I can beat someone at. Maybe then I'll impress Serenity," he added under his breath. For once, Joey did not hear as he was already headed down the street.

Duke did, however, and laughed. "I'll always beat you, Tristan! Don't worry!"

Bakura glanced from one group to the other. Then he looked straight out, brown eyes baffled.

"Why do I get the feeling I am unwanted luggage in this story?"

CfB blinked. "I don't know. Maybe because you only get filler lines?"

Bakura sighed. "Then I'd better get going after Duke. You won't be following his part of the story. But I must say, I am glad that you have not brought up the ring yet."

CfB. "Well, I could…"

(hehehee. I just had to. But if you don't like it, here: "Which way do you want to go, Bakura?" Téa asked, waiting for him to choose.

"I'll just go with Duke. I know if I go to Yugi's, his grandfather will have chores for us to do."

"All right. See you later!" Téa said. So Bakura trotted after Duke and Tristan to check out the new game as the other three went back to Yugi's house.)

The Kame Game shop sat docilely before them, Solomon for once not sweeping the sidewalk outside the store. Yugi banged through the front door and hardly took time to say a greeting to the old man. Instead, he raced up to his room, dropped off his bag filled with books, and charged back down he steps.

Téa and Joey were almost in his way, but they dodged to the side before getting mown over.

"Yugi! Is that any way to treat your friends?" Grandpa frowned at him.

"'S'all right, Gramps. I just realized why he's in such a big rush. We gotta get goin'!"

Téa was still as clueless as the elderly man. "We do? Why? Why don't you fill me in, Joey?" She had to begin hurrying after the two of them as they went back outside.

"We gotta meetin' today wid YO!"

They still would not slow down, so Téa jogged to keep up. "What? You couldn't put it any later in the day so you wouldn't have to rush from school? And why are you meeting with YO? Couldn't you just go see him since he's your uncle?"

Joey shook his head in disbelief. "Sometimes I dink you're more foolish den I am! He may be my uncle, but I still gotta get a time slot assigned ta see him!"

"Yeah, and we want to know anything about the Kaibas," Yugi added, panting. "We thought he might tell us more in person than if we just called him up on the phone. So I got a meeting with him. Maybe everything will finally be cleared up."

Téa stared at them both, but that caused her to slow down. Quickly, she caught up again, deciding not to pry any further into Joey's life. His dad was already bad enough. And she knew his mom had oddly left him alone with the drunkard, so Téa did not question why YO had changed his name or even question why he acted as he did.

The lawyer's neat building was made of a tall skyscraper, though it was not nearly as tall as the Kaiba Corporation building. Rather, the Hobson Corporation building. Already the KC was being exchanged for more appropriate lettering.

Being one of the top lawyers, YO had an entire floor in which to conduct his business in the law firm's building. He had a secretary of his own as well, since his nephew was so terrible at answering phones. Joey still worked occasionally, but it was more out of pity than for his skill.

They headed over to the elevator. Yugi looked around, feeling a little out of place here where there were only two other adults, both in business suits. As soon as the doors closed on the elevator, he took a small breath of relief.

Four floors went by. On the fifth, Joey moseyed on out, looking completely self-confident. Sometimes, Yugi wished he could be more like his best friend. Trying to keep his thoughts his own was always a slight struggle, but his other self did not say anything. For that, the boy was grateful.

The secretary, or rather, _permanent_ secretary, glanced up as they walked up. She saw Joey and smiled, thinking he had come to beg for more time to work. However, that thought was proven wrong once they said they had an interview, and her finger found the names written in.

"Well, then you can go on in," she said in surprise, watching them go into the large office.

YO, not being given a fair warning, had his feet propped up on his desk and was reading a newspaper as they walked in. Instantly, his feet clanked to the floor and the paper folded on top of his desk as he turned his attention to the visitors.

After offering them a seat, the lawyer looked them over one by one, focusing entirely on each person. All three shifted uneasily.

"So, you want ta know de truth," YO began.

All three leaned forward unconsciously, eyes zeroing in on the man before them.

YO smiled. "Well, I'm goin' over dere today, so we gotta be quick. But I will tell you dis—Kaiba and Mokuba lost a trial for de guardianship of Mokuba. Now, dere's an appeal we're workin' on dat we can't lose. Faulty evidence and all dat crap. Anyway, Mokuba was livin' with de Janukas, as you know, until you stole him." YO's gaze was piercing, making both Yugi and Téa appropriately humiliated. Joey had no reaction to the look, merely seeming proud of himself.

Shaking his head at his nephew's reaction, YO suppressed a grin. After the small pause, he continued, "For some reason, de boy ran off. And dat's where we are today. We gotta find Mokuba, since plenty of people already are learning about it, including ones that will use his running off to their advantage. So, keep a lookout for de boy, will you?"

They nodded, heads spinning from what remained unknown. Why had Mokuba just run off? This spiraled around their minds as they left the building and slowly walked over to Duke's shop. Silence ensued.

The pain returned. It had never been too far beneath the surface to begin with, but now, it threatened to overpower him once more with its strong arms twining throughout his body.

Blinking away tears, Mokuba tried to focus on the ceiling above him. Gradually, the pain and feeling of nausea passed from most of him. In his arm, however, it remained like a swarm of red ants feasting on his flesh. He almost dared to glance at what was wrong, but the remembered feeling of smoothness caused him almost to hurl already. Deciding not to look down, Mokuba tried to move his body into a more comfortable position.

The problem was right there: no comfortable positions existed anymore. With his broken arm, the boy's entire felt bruised. Falling through a ventilator shaft could do that to someone.

Mokuba did roll slowly to his back again, and when a small prick reminded him of its presence, he remembered the necklace lying there.

"Seto never leaves me alone," he said aloud. For some reason, that struck him as funny, but as he started to laugh, his ribs hurt. Needless to say, that action did not continue very long.

Most of the blood from his arm appeared to have stopped oozing, though it was still gooey. A few bits of crusty, blackened bits were around the edges, and that was as far as Mokuba looked. His clothes were slightly torn and full of blood, so he decided escaping and going back onto the streets would not work very well.

With no extra clothes to try to make a bandage out of, he did the next best thing: pulled up the bottom of his shirt to support his wounded arm, holding the cloth up with his other arm. Then, Mokuba was free to slowly get to his feet and look around.

The steady tapping of the rain on the windowsill echoed the tapping of YO's fingers on the tabletop. The lawyer realized what he was doing as the young man's eyes focused intently on the movement. Embarrassed, YO stopped his tapping and folded his hands into his lap.

Kaiba moved his gaze to the lawyer's face. Now that he looked closely, there was a very faint resemblance to Joey Wheeler in YO's hair. Its color was the same messy strands. Otherwise, the lawyer kept it short and neat, or at least attempted the latter. But Joey Wheeler was not why Yale Oaken was here.

"We need to appeal as soon as possible, Mr. Kaiba. I know you wanted to wait to find your brother and surely it won't look good with Mokuba missing, but that is not something that can be taken into account during the appeal. The appeal will _only _be on whether or not the evidence used in the former trial was gotten legally. Therefore, before the defense has enough time to gather their evidence or witnesses, we need to press our advantage."

It made sense. That just angered Kaiba further. His brother was missing; nothing should be so clear as to carry on with business. Heck, the entire world should stop moving and find the boy before something happened to him if nothing had already. But, the business part of him still understood how the bureaucratic systems of the world functioned and did not care for any individual.

"All right. We'll do this appeal. But then, I need to focus on finding Mokuba. No doubt if we win this appeal they will be breathing down our necks again in order to prove I lost Mokuba. However, I would rather face that than face a life without any hope of spending time with my brother again."

"I'm aware of that, sir. And remember, you have my support through all your endeavors. Once we win the appeal I will not be abandoning you again. I will keep Mokuba and you together."

There was no answer. YO stood, extending his hand, which Kaiba took out of habit. Then, with the cold feeling of the CEO's hand still permeating through his flesh, the lawyer let the goons escort him out.

Alone in the living room, Kaiba gazed at the fire, remembering a time before when Mokuba had fallen asleep before this fire. Then, they had been closer than ever before. Now, with what those notes said, Kaiba doubted his brother would ever forgive him, even though he had not written them himself.

How had they gotten his handwriting down so well? Kaiba could not believe anyone was that talented with a pen. There was no way someone was looking at his writing and forging it. No way any human could…

Like a security camera zooming in to focus on an infiltrator, his mind rocketed to the invention he had made years ago. Gozaburo had confiscated it right away, but Kaiba had never doubted that the slimy man used it. At that time, however, he had not wanted to believe what his step-father was doing.

Maybe a human could not duplicate his handwriting exactly, but a machine he made himself could certainly do it.

"But where did that machine go?" Kaiba muttered to himself. Gozaburo was the last who knew, or so Kaiba guessed. The old man must have taken it with him to the pavement, and hence, his grave. "Could someone else be using it? If only I knew where it was…"

Mokuba stared up at an odd machine. That was what had broken his fall and his arm, as well as aided in bruising his entire body. It looked like an extra-large printer, but something else came off the edge of it. Something oddly familiar…

Gasping, Mokuba recalled the last time he had seen this machine. It had been a few years ago, but the incident was forever in his mind.

Flashback

Proudly standing back from the last screw he had put in, Seto smiled at his little brother's curious look.

"Are you all done, nii-sama?" the boy asked, peering at the machine.

"Yes. Do you want to see how it works?" When Mokuba eagerly nodded, Seto put in several sheets of paper to the proper place and took out a pen, writing on a different sheet of paper.

_I, Seto Kaiba, made this machine on my own, though my little brother was a good inspiration._

Mokuba's eyes went wide with joy. "I was?"

Seto nodded, placing the paper with the note into the part that would download it into the computer. There was a small whir and few winking lights from under the cover, making the process even more mysterious to the young boy. After only a couple minutes, the handwriting appeared on the screen. Seto pointed it out to Mokuba, then pushed the "print" button.

"How is this different from the other printers, nii-sama?"

Seto looked up from adjusting the way the pen sat in the machine's mechanical arm.

"Well, on a regular computer you can't print someone's true handwriting. And it doesn't use pens or pencils."

Mokuba watched closely as the pen in the machine's arm wrote out the note again, eyes whizzing back and forth between papers to see if there were any differences. Proudly, Seto claimed they looked exactly the same.

"My brother's a genius!" Mokuba cried, looking up just in time to see Gozaburo enter the room.

End Flashback

After that, Gozaburo had taken control of the machine, and even if he were pleased with how it worked, he had not changed his attitude toward the boys.

So this is Seto's handwriting machine, Mokuba thought, looking it over.

Surprisingly, the machine did not look old or even dusty. In fact, it seemed in perfect order. Paper even sat in the bottom, awaiting to print more. He never knew what had happened to it, but apparently, someone still put it to use.

Mokuba's eyes continued around the room, freezing when he saw something familiar on the wall. It was too dark to be certain, so Mokuba walked over to the wall, trying to find a light switch. When his fingers clicked it on, the boy's eyes went as wide as when he had heard he had been a good inspiration to his older brother.

There, before him on the wall were the letters "K" and "C." He was in the Kaiba Corporation building. Obviously, he was somewhere low, since no windows were in this room and since he had never seen the machine for a long time. All the upper levels he had seen recently when trying to see his brother. But the basement was avoided by almost everyone.

"But then why is it in such good shape?"

There were no cobwebs or dust bunnies around the room. The lights worked fine and nothing smelled musty. Obviously, someone had been using this room a lot recently. But who could it have been? He could not believe his brother had hired that man to kidnap him. Then again, Mokuba did not think he could trust his brother anymore.

Stooping down slowly, the boy picked up the necklace once more. He wanted to throw it far away forever, but for some reason, he put it in his pocket. At least there it was out of his sight and mind.

Now, he had to work on escaping this place without being caught.

Mokuba peered out the doorway, but the entire hallway was dim. No one else was around here. Perhaps they did not even know he had escaped yet. Or maybe, they did not even care.

What if they put me in that room just to get me out of the way? Maybe they wanted me to starve to death in there. Mokuba could not shake the thought out of his head, even as he desperately reached for something great and shining to show him the way. He was alone, as usual.

"Then it's up to just me now," he said, finding it reassuring to hear his own voice. At least then, the voice in his mind was quiet. "I'll find my way out and…" He stopped. "I'll just take it a little at a time. First, I have to get out."

"First, I have to get in." He gave a quirky smile. "This won't be too difficult. I'll just send a virus to lock down everything mechanical inside. Heh. Then, when they're busy dealing with that, I can go find the machine that must be in there somewhere."

Kaiba looked up at the building, face not changing from its usual wary look at the sight of the changing name. Hobson Corporation indeed. While the syllables were still correct, seeing such a pathetic attempt at gaining prestige by simply taking over another company made him very amused. If his brother had still been here, there was a chance that a smile would have adorned his face for a brief moment.

"I'll take care of Hobson once I solve this mystery and find my brother. Then, with the appeal soon, my life might actually go back to being somewhat normal." He ceased his muttering as he stopped to work on his hand-held computer.

Within moments, another entertained glance came over his face and he looked up. Inside the clear windows near the bottom, workers had puzzles looks on their faces. Kaiba was really beginning to enjoy himself when he saw someone who was a supervisor struggling to solve the problem for an employee. The woman looked confused and dismayed as she realized how many people were having the same problem.

Now was the time to enter.

There was plenty of security at Kaiba Corporation. Of course, Hobson would not have destroyed it, but with Kaiba's little virus, all of that was taken care of. Free to move around the building, looking like he belonged here (and Kaiba never doubted for a moment that he did), no one paid him any heed. After all, the workers who had been hired by him were no longer here. Some had quit. Others were "gone." With the new virus annoying everyone, it all added up to being invisible in his own company. Well, his former company.

Unless someone had already redecorated, which was completely possible, seeing that the outside of the company was getting new wording, the machine had not been on any of the upper levels. So, he might as well start in the basement. After all, there was no reason to test his luck by remaining around employees as they tried to debug computers. And, the elevator would not be working, so he decided going down one flight was better than walking up twenty.

The door closed with a small snick behind him, the stairwell lit softly. Humming, the lights seemed to be chanting the sacred syllable Om. Only his footsteps made a sound as he walked down them with ease, coat billowing out behind him.

Almost to the bottom, he stopped when he heard a sound from farther below him. The door where he wanted to leave started to open, but there was not time for Kaiba to hide. So, he waited and watched the door open, expecting someone much taller to come out.

Frozen on the steps, Kaiba could only stare as the black-headed boy glanced to both sides, not moving once he saw Kaiba.

"Mokuba," Kaiba whispered, unable to move.


	12. Reunited at Last

Chapter 12 Reunited at Last

The boy blinked twice, looking like he wanted to run but not knowing where to go. Almost, he was a trapped feral creature, trying to determine which way was safest to flee. Kaiba opened his mouth and closed it again, afraid to startle his brother into action.

Mokuba did not look well. There was blood all over his shirt and covering his left arm. Dirty and looking completely worn out also made his figure pitiable. A few bruises already highlighted his skin from his fall, and Kaiba could begin to feel himself growing very angry. Whoever had done this would pay.

"How-how…I mean, when…?" Mokuba looked helplessly at his older brother, not even knowing what he was trying to ask. He wavered for a moment, and Kaiba rushed down the steps in order to catch him. The boy, however, righted himself on his own, looking up at Kaiba with large eyes.

Somewhere, not that few would ever believe it, there was a leap of joy coming from Kaiba's heart. His brother was here, right before him…Then, with a start, Kaiba noticed something else. Mokuba was not wearing his card necklace, and he seemed uneasy before Kaiba.

"Mokuba," Kaiba tried again. "Are you all right?"

What a pathetic question, he thought to himself. Even now I can't sound or say what I want to.

"Did you come to lock me away again?" the boy finally burst out, looking as if the door he had just come through would be the one he charged through once more.

"_What?_"

Kaiba, who had been about to take the last few steps over to his younger brother, could not move. The look on Mokuba's face held true fear, and that was something he could not imagine ever seeing there. Now, he was positive Mokuba had seen those false papers.

"Mokuba, I would never lock you away! Why would you think that?"

The boy had no ready reply. In fact, he had no answer at all. Just staring sadly at his brother for a few seconds, Mokuba could not bear to see his brother so shocked and disappointed so he turned his gaze to the ground.

Kaiba did not know what else he could say or do. Did his brother really think he would lock him away? Where had all this come from? After all, the note had not indicated anything like that; it merely hinted Kaiba did not remember his brother. Had the Janukas done this to him?

Getting angry at Mokuba would solve nothing, only make everything worse. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Seto Kaiba backed away from his brother and prepared to be disappointed.

"Mokuba, I think I can guess why you're acting this way. Have you read this?" Kaiba dug the papers out of his coat pocket. For one thing, they were never far from him because they angered him so much, and he had brought them in case they would be helpful in finding the machine. Carefully, he held them out far away from himself, the wording evident to Mokuba.

The boy glanced from the paper to his brother's face a few times, one hand absentmindedly going to his pocket. However, doing that made his wounded arm start to slip, so he quickly supported his shirt once more. Gulping, he finally nodded his head quickly.

"I see," the young CEO said softly. Not knowing how to begin, he decided an apology was best. "I want to say…Rather, I know I haven't been—" Damn it, why were apologies so hard? He looked once more at his brother's forlorn face, the complete pitiable nature of it spurring him on. "Mokuba, I'm sorry I wrote that letter to you. I don't think you'll understand, but I want you to know I was not in my right mind. I don't want you to be a Januka, now or ever. Maybe you would rather be one; maybe they treated you better than I treated you. I want you to know that I understand. I wasn't a good brother, and I failed you. That being true, the final choice of where you want to stay will be yours. I won't force you to do anything." He glanced down at the paper. To himself, he murmured, "I've, too, often been forced."

That last comment triggered something within Mokuba's befuddled mind. Now, he looked at the paper in a new light, wondering if it could be true. On the stairwell doors he had entered through had been the words "Hobson Corporation," confusing Mokuba completely. In one part of the building, it was Kaiba's company, and here, in new paint, it was Hobson's.

The boy remembered Hobson well. The obese man had startled and kept him wary all through his life with Gozaburo. Almost, Mokuba could still hear his cackling…

No, that was right now, here.

"A little old family reunion. Too bad Mr. Gozaburo Kaiba isn't here," Hobson said, laughing. His bulk somehow managed to fit on to the stairwell, and he came down the steps, leering. "I should have guessed it was you, young Seto. Oh, wait, that's right. I did. My, my, we can't stay out of trouble with the law." His beady eyes behind the glasses focused on Mokuba.

Slowly, another smile crossed his face, which was frightening to see. "Ah. I thought the judge had ordered you to be separate, not within twenty miles of one another. And that is strange considering I heard Mokuba was missing. Don't tell me you had anything to do with it, Seto."

Kaiba glared at the man, blocking Mokuba's view as he turned to face Hobson. "Stop playing games. The appeal is coming up soon, and I know you are the one who used illegal tapes. So don't be telling me about breaking the law."

Hobson did not reply, but his slow smile was still on his ugly face. The man could have almost passed for an imbecile had Kaiba not seen the light ticking away behind his features.

"Ah, but poor Mokuba is caught up in the middle of all this. I am quite astonished to find him here. Did he help you plant the virus?"

Kaiba did not reply, only narrowed his eyes and thought over how best to escape this situation. There was one thing he could try, though there was no guarantee it was true.

"It's strange, Hobson. I thought the judge also gave the order to stop all your changing over of titles and products, since the appeal was approaching." Kaiba enjoyed watching Hobson's eyes flicker one moment of fear. Then, the smug mask was back. Kaiba continued, "I might forget about what I have seen happening here if you forget ever seeing me. But then, I don't think my brother will forget this."

Mokuba's eyes widened yet again when he heard his brother mention him.

Gesturing to his wounded, broken arm, Kaiba said, steely-eyed, "What if the judge hears about Mokuba being in your company building when all of the police are looking for him?"

Looking for him? The boy's ears perked up.

A moment of silence, tense only for those who understood passed by. Softly, the grin still present, Hobson replied, "Get out, Seto Kaiba, but don't forget to hand your brother back over to the authorities. Forget you found him here and the deal is on."

A deal with this ugly pig was the best he could do. Kaiba might have been shaking Hobson's pudgy hand to agree, but there was no way he would forget finding his brother here, wounded.

Turning back to the boy, Kaiba made his face less angry. "I need to bring you to the hospital, Mokuba." He did not want to ask his brother to accompany him in front of Hobson, so he was relieved and pleased when Mokuba mutely nodded and slowly began to follow.

Hobson did not move from his spot the stairs looking even more pleased as they squeezed by him leaving the company building.

Kaiba had not found proof of his old machine, and he would not again. However, he had discovered his brother, and that was much more important.

"Do you feel up to walking?" Kaiba had walked the entire way here, but he always had some money on him for a ride. However, since this might be again the last time with his brother, the young man wanted to prolong it as much as possible. But Mokuba's health was more important.

"Yes." If Mokuba noticed he did not have to trot to keep pace with his brother, he said nothing. "Seto…"

"Hmm?"

Mokuba hesitated, not wanting to be led the wrong way again. If his brother was going to leave him or shun him, Mokuba did not want to begin believing in something that never was. With all the turmoil in his mind, the boy's arm had ceased to bother him so much.

"Those letters…the ones you showed me. I found the old handwriting machine, and well…" Mokuba could only helplessly wish what he was indicating was true. Yet, he could not come out and directly ask, for fear it was wrong.

"You found the machine?" Kaiba glanced at his brother, wondering what story he had to tell. Maybe Kaiba would never hear it. Instead of pursuing the story, he said, "I didn't write those letters, Mokuba. I was unconscious when it happened."

Somewhere within the boy, a powerful dragon spread its wings and took flight, but Mokuba still did not want to grow too excited too soon. Within his life were still many other problems.

Mokuba stopped walking and tugged on his brother's sleeve. There was still a bandage on his wrist, though it was a small one.

"Seto, why? If the letter I read was wrong, then why did you do it?"

Kaiba pulled his sleeve back down, not wanting to talk about this. But his brother needed it.

The brothers were both stopped now. "The letter could not be further from the truth. I would never want to be like Gozaburo. And I don't think my company is more important than you, Mokuba, though I know it seemed like that." His blue eyes that were normally so cold closed in order to hide the warmth that was thawing them. "I did it because I had been a lousy brother."

What reply was there to say to that? Mokuba went silent, wondering how he could have been so wrong this entire time.

Kaiba did not want that hanging in the air, so he continued, "And that other letter, the one that I truly sent, I did it because I didn't want you wishing for something that would never be. Do you understand? I thought if I made you angry with me you would start to heal and grow in your new life."

"But, Seto, I don't _want_ a new life. All I ever wanted was for you to not work as hard and maybe play a few games with me."

"I'm sorry." This time, the words did not seem to be hard to say at all. "I'm sorry, Mokuba, so sorry…"

The boy could not believe it when his brother turned away because he had wet cheeks. There had only been one other time he had seen Seto cry, and that had been when he himself had been taken away. Mokuba's reaction was natural. Already, the days of depression and worthlessness faded away in the light of the truth. Even with his arm in its makeshift cast, Mokuba went in front of his brother and hugged him.

-

Needless to say, the hospital was shocked at seeing a boy with a bone jutting out of his arm—hardly feeling any pain, he claimed. His shirt was bloodied and irreparable, but there was a large smile on the boy's face even as the one who brought him in left him. The smile tugged on the lips of all the workers, so that once they had seen Mokuba, they could not help feeling lightened as they continued with other duties.

Alone in his room, a smile still on his face, Mokuba dug out his card from his pants pocket. He had had to fight to keep his own pants, since the hospital wanted him in cleaner clothing, but in the end, his face let him get his way.

"Seto…I'm glad I can trust you," he said happily, replacing it around his neck after he was finished seeing his brother's grinning face.

They had discussed quite a lot on the way to the hospital. Now, Mokuba understood why his brother had sent him that mean letter and that the other letters were not his. Even better, Mokuba was confident that his brother still wanted him. Maybe becoming "Bewd" had helped even more than it seemed to.

For now, he was fine with the name Mokuba.

-

"Explain it again, sir," Fuguta said to Roland, trying to understand what his friend was saying.

Roland visibly closed his eyes and counted. This had to be the third time he was explaining it, and that was just to Fuguta.

"Mr. Kaiba found Mokuba in the old Kaiba Corporation building. Mokuba had a broken arm and did not seem like himself. Remember how he just ran away for no reason? Well, it seems he was kidnapped by Hobson. But, Mr. Kaiba had to agree not to say anything about that in the trial, or else Hobson would have told the judge about Mr. Kaiba breaking into Kaiba Corp and being in direct contact with Mokuba. I think the judge would understand that Mr. Kaiba had to bring Mokuba to the hospital, but it is better to be safe than separate.

"Now, the appeal is tomorrow, but I believe more than just the last trial will be discussed. Mokuba was indeed kidnapped. He explained what happened to the police, and while they can't tie it to Hobson, the police are watching him. Even better, Mokuba claimed that he ran away from the Januka household and got a ride with some friends he found. That should put you and the other high school students at ease. You won't be blamed."

Finally, Fuguta seemed to understand the story. Relieved, he wiped his brow and thanked Roland. Then, he went back to his duties on the way walking by Mr. Kaiba's door.

Inside there, Kaiba was organizing the completed notes for his appeal. He thought a win was very much in their favor, but Hobson was tricky. Even when he had just seen the stubby man, Kaiba had been wary at how unconcerned Hobson was. Obviously, Hobson was not afraid of losing the company.

Now, though, with Mokuba's kidnapping tale and his finding the handwriting machine in working order, there seemed very little way Hobson could win. At the moment, certain members of the law enforcement were extricating the machine since YO had gotten a search warrant because of the added connection to the trial. No one should be copying another person's handwriting, which is why the machine had first been locked in the basement. If Kaiba could also get Hobson with forgery, there would not be many years after Hobson's sentence for him to be causing harm.

Kaiba could hardly wait for the appeal to be over. Right then, he was wondering how Mokuba was doing in the hospital.

-

There were a few footsteps outside the door, hesitating for a moment—probably reading the name of the room's occupant—before coming through the doorway. Worried and relieved at the same time, Mr. and Mrs. Januka hurried over to the boy in bed. For the first time since earlier that day, Mokuba felt his smile fading.

"Oh, Mokuba, we were so worried!" Mrs. Januka did not keep herself from perhaps emotionally frightening the boy; instead, she flung herself onto him and clutched him close. He was uneasy to see the tears on her face.

Mr. Januka looked awkward as well, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he stood back, watching his wife with her foster son.

In her arms, Mokuba did not know what to do. He had no such attachments to these people, yet he could understand where they were coming from since the way he felt for his brother was similar. As the woman drew back, Mokuba tried not to make eye contact with her still struggling to see how he should speak to them.

The appeal was surely off-limits. Also, he did not want to discuss why he had run and what had happened. To him, there was nothing more to say to the Janukas, other than an apology that they had been dragged into this mess.

For now, however, they sat in silence. This silence was worse than Mokuba shutting himself in his room since in this silence, the Janukas could sense a looming farewell bubbling to escape Mokuba's mouth.

The appeal, though, had not yet been won.

-

To YO, the appeal was won. There was no way they could lose, not with the evidence he had tracked down. Along with Mr. Kaiba's new information, there just was no conceivable way they could fail. Mokuba would come back home.

He only wished everyone else were as confident as he was. The day of the appeal, YO did not even attempt to speak to Mr. Kaiba since it was all worthless. The young CEO was too tense to listen and too snappy to politely ignore any undesired words.

Thus far, he had promised to himself not to use the kidnapping as evidence because of the rotten deal Kaiba had struck with Hobson. If needed, however, Kaiba would bring it up. And he still thought someone should pay. His little brother had been kidnapped and placed into a room until they decided to do something to him. He was certain they were not just going to pat his head and let him out after the appeal was over.

Another problem was that it would be the same judge as last time, which did not lighten anyone. As much as they were supposed to be unbiased, it was difficult to forget what you already knew. And this judge knew Kaiba did not deserve to keep Mokuba.

Fewer people came to hear the appeal, but whispering in the third row was the gang. Kaiba saw them once, and then promptly ignored them. Why did the appeal have to be on a weekend day?

Yugi, Téa, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura continued to talk to one another, everyone seeing various people and Joey smugly telling them who they were.

"Dat's de odder side's lawyers, Mr. Yara and Mr. Gato. Dey dink dey got it all in de bag, but dey'll be surprised when my uncle whips deir bums!" Joey gave his well-known laugh, sounding something like, "Heh haha!"

Tristan was rubbing his fist, muttering about showing those lawyers just how pathetic they were. Yugi, though, reminded them all not to get into trouble.

"If we mess things up for the Kaibas, they'll probably never get to stay together! So, be on your best behavior."

They fell quieter, though Téa could not help reacting when Mokuba came in, the Janukas behind him. The boy did not look at them; he was too busy focusing on his brother as he had at the last trial he had been at.

"Oh, poor Mokuba. Look at him, craning to see Kaiba. And his arm is wounded!"

Yugi's eyes were wider than usual. "Yeah. I wonder what happened?"

Kaiba was looking back, and to the astonishment to everyone around him—to everyone in his life, Kaiba smiled at the sight of Mokuba's excitement to see him.

There was no detaining the boy. He rushed forward so that even if the Janukas had good reactions, they would not be able to hold him back. Instead, they paused mid-stride before following their foster son to his brother. Fortunately, the judge was not here yet. However, some bailiffs were, and they also strode forward.

"Seto!"

Kaiba quickly stood to bend down to his brother, saying lowly, "I won't make you any promises this time, Mokuba. But I want you to know I am going to try with all my heart to win this."

Mokuba smiled. "I know you are. I don't know why I ever doubted you before about you wanting to win, but I don't anymore. And I know I can trust you. Even if we didn't win the trial, I know we can win this. You're the best big brother I could ask for!"

"Well, that's good, since I'm the only one you'll ever have," Kaiba commented dryly, glancing up at the Janukas who had just reached him. Ever a businessman, he extended his hand and said, "Thank you for caring for Mokuba during the last few weeks. I know he can be a handful, but you were assigned to be his guardian, which you did. I just regret that this business is not yet resolved."

Mr. Januka nodded. "Yes. We will see what happens now, but know that we still hold you high in esteem, Mr. Kaiba."

"As I hold you, Mr. Januka."

The politics of business. Saying what you did not mean and having to act as if you did.

By then, the bailiff had arrived and sternly warned them away from each other. If "there was another breach in protocol," someone would be penalized. The Kaibas were not to have any direct correspondence. A little sadly, Mokuba just glanced back as he went to his seat.

There was a small tight feeling in his pocket as he sat, so Mokuba put his hand in to see what was there. To his astonishment, he pulled out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. His brother must have slipped it in when he had bent down to talk to him. Mokuba looked back up to see if his brother's face indicated anything, but Kaiba was facing forward again as the judge was making his entrance.

Everyone stood and the introductions were made as before with only a slightly different twist.

Misters Yara and Gato had all the evidence Hobson had given them, claiming that, yes, Hobson used the tapes. But he had permission. It was when the man himself was on the stand that they were revealing this information. Sitting before everyone in a chair that was too small, Hobson continued leering as he gave his account.

In this trial, Kaiba was helping YO as an assistant lawyer. When it came time to cross-examine, Kaiba stood to do it.

"You say you have my permission to use the tapes. You even showed a paper with my writing and signature on it. But how can that be proven true?"

There was a small silence on the crowd. The other two lawyers were not even whispering together anymore but looking at their boss in slight dismay. Hobson did not look worried.

"Compare your signature to the one on the paper and to your handwriting. You'll find they are the same."

Kaiba asked permission to allow exhibit B, which the judge granted. From the back of the courtroom, Fintan and Duncan carried in an old machine they had gotten from the Kaiba Corporation building. On seeing this, Hobson's smile seemed a little pasted, but he still was not too deterred.

Bringing it up front, Kaiba began explaining what this was. Then, he asked the judge to write the sentence, "The very quick fox jumps over the lazy brown dog." After that, the judge was the sign his name.

He did so, wondering if this machine could really do as Kaiba described. Typing in what the new note would say, Kaiba said nothing until it was printed out in ink. Then, he handed the sheet to the judge, who whitened.

"This is obviously my handwriting, and I would say what is written on there is _nothing_ I have ever written before! Your point is well-taken, young man." The judge ripped the paper, wanting to keep what was on there private. Then, he banged his gavel to quiet the growing roar. "If you don't have anymore evidence, I will have to call this case as decided," he said to the lawyers and Hobson.

Mr. Yara stood up, saying they had one more piece of evidence.

Meanwhile, Kaiba turned from where he was on the raised floor, finding his brother's eyes and nodding to him. It was only through Mokuba's aid that he had discovered the old machine. Then, the young CEO returned to his seat. YO could not have been any prouder.

Hobson remained on the stand to continue testifying. After all, it was the next information that he was certain no one could dispute.

"Don't you also have someone else's permission to use the said tapes?"

Hobson nodded. "Yes, the late Mr. Gozaburo Kaiba granted me permission to use them years ago. And, since this Mr. Kaiba never took the permission away, I still have the right to use them. After all, I used to work for Mr. Kaiba until I was just upgraded to owner."

If there were one person whom Kaiba wished he had fired long ago, it was now the large man smirking on the stand. Still, he kept his wits about him as he rose to again cross-examine.

"So, if I were to fire you now, that would not affect this?" Kaiba knew the answer; he was just leading into where he wanted to go.

Again, the man nodded. "You're wrong. You can't fire me at all. There is nothing you can do that would deny me the permission since you can't fire me. You can't rewrite the rule, young Kaiba. You don't own the company anymore." Hobson leaned back and smiled.

Somehow, Kaiba hardly seemed upset. His voice went falsetto. "But, Hobson, the company takes a process of six weeks to transfer to any new owner. Look under the Corporation Regulations and Customs, under Rule 137, point 4. So, I still own the company, and I can still rewrite the rule." He plopped down the book he was referring to, pointing out the paragraph to the judge.

The crowd was murmuring and whispering to one another, making a low grumbling.

The judge was reading the handbook seeing exactly what Kaiba was talking about. He pounded his gavel and confirmed, "Mr. Kaiba is right. I have found the rule he is referring to. He still owns the company at this time."

Standing up, Hobson could not believe it. "What do you mean? A simple technicality!" Hobson raged.

Kaiba smirked. "You should have done your homework. Then, you wouldn't have fallen to such a well-known fact. Yet, you thought yourself smart enough to run my company?"

The judge had to pound his gavel repeatedly to quiet everyone down, and when he did, he asked if Hobson and his lawyers had any more evidence. At their silence and infuriated looks, the judge concluded the verdict immediately.

"The last trial was a mistrial because of faulty evidence. Now, that result will be tossed and if so desired, a new one will begin to see if Seto Kaiba is worthy to be Mokuba Kaiba's guardian."

People were on their feet, the gang included, and everyone began talking and milling about. So far, reporters were kept away.

Worming his way through the throng of people, Mokuba smacked into several people, hardly caring when his arm burned. If only he weren't so short!

"Seto! Seto!" Mokuba found him at last, disregarding his arm again as he flung his good arm around him and sandwiched his bad one against his brother. "I knew you could do it, nii-sama."

Kaiba looked fondly down at his little brother, wondering why he had never noticed how it made his heart less heavy to see Mokuba smile.

He felt a small hand burrow its way into his pocket, and he was not surprised to feel the familiar presence of a Duel Monsters card left there.

The gang was looking at the happy brothers, finally leaving when Yugi shoved them out. Bakura grabbed Tristan and Duke grabbed Joey, so Yugi was left to herd Téa out the door. Reporters were in the way, but they all knew it would soon be worse to be one of those involved in the trial. The reporters were pushing their way inside.

One stopped before them. "Are you students from Domino High School? What do you have to say about your former teacher, Mr. Hanakori?"

A microphone was shoved into Tristan's face, but they were all silent, clueless as to what the reporter was talking about. On inspiration, or just true feeling, Joey grabbed the microphone and prepared to make a statement.

"He's always on my nerves and never been nice ta us! I dink he's a pain in de….uh, butt. And we're glad he's now a _former_ teacher." His face went blank. "Eh, since when has he been former?"

The reporter had already turned back to the camera, saying the closing remarks.

"There you have it. One of his students has said he knew Hanakori was trouble all along. He was the one who kidnapped the younger Mr. Kaiba according to the child's description. We are still waiting to see if Hanakori pleads guilty or not, but with what we heard as a motive, and this is not certain, Hanakori thought he was going to be moving up in the business world after the kidnapping. From an anonymous source, we got word that Hanakori was working in conjunction with Hobson Corporation and was planning on becoming a member of the Board of Directors since all five other men have quit or are gone.

"Yet, that is not all. It is said there is another problem heis facing as well. One of his students turned him in for abusing the school's medications…"

Yugi took a double take, very suspicious when he felt his other's self's smug presence. To Yami, he thought, "_You?_ You turned him in? You didn't get me in trouble, did you?"

"Don't worry, Yugi. I went at night when you were supposed to be in bed and made certain you wouldn't remember. I also made sure it was anonymous. No one will be able to find out it was you," he assured his friend.

Not knowing what else to say or do, Yugi walked down the steps glad that things had been taken care of for both parties.

-

Back inside, the Janukas stayed back, faces saddened, but the true emotion hid for a time when they could be alone. They thought about going to say farewell, but seeing Mokuba with Kaiba made them decide otherwise. It was better to leave things as they were. At least now the boy who had been so scarred with them was healing. They had to do the same without the boy.

Hobson had to be escorted out since he would not stop raging. "This is not the last time you'll hear from me! I still own your company!"

Kaiba turned to look at him. "Actually, with Mokuba's percentage of the company back with mine, you don't. And in case you were wondering, you're fired."

The six policeman continued to shove the man out the doors, and YO stopped looking at the group to bid farewell to his clients.

"I'm glad it ended well, sir. But, so you know, I'm sure there will be a following trial to see if you are a suitable guardian."

Kaiba looked at his brother who was still clinging to him, face buried in his suit coat. Kaiba suspected he was hiding tears. "It won't matter. They won't have any evidence. From now on, it's Mokuba who is first." There was still the corporation to fix up, but that would be done with less emphasis than before (but not as little as what helped cause him to lose the company in the first place).

YO smiled as he saw the brothers attempting to leave the area, Kaiba having to help his brother walk because of how closely the boy was glued to him. Eventually, Mokuba freed himself and was content to hold his nii-sama's hand as they waded through the reporters to get back to their old, newly-appreciated life.

The end. La fin.


End file.
